The Howling Vampire
by ShannenR
Summary: Hunted down for most of her life, Midnight finally finds a way to end the chase and the nightmares... VxOC, OC
1. Every Story Has Its Beginning

**Disclaimer: **I, of course, do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters used in this story, they are all part of Square Enix and I thanks the heavens everyday for having SE create them.

**Note: **a short note about the lay-out**  
**

"regular speech"

- mental speech -

_- genes speaking -_

_thoughts_

I think that about covers it, should anything be unclear, feel free to let me know :)

Also, Vincent Valentine won't be in the first 2 parts, but it's essential that you read the whole story if you really want to understand the main charachter.

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 1: Every story has its beginning.**

"Fire the gun, damn it!"

A harsh voice, thundering through the cold dungeons, reached her sensitive little ears as she was standing there, merely 10 years old, but already holding a gun in her hand.

"I don't want to!" she screamed in a shaky voice.

"Damn it! The boss will know how to deal with you!"

He roughly grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to another room upstairs, the little girl's face soaked in tears of despair.

A door opened and she was roughly thrown inside. A tall, blond man looked up from the screen of his laptop, momentarily interrupting his search for 'entertainment', as the girl was thrown in front of his desk.

"Well, well. Our little Shadow still not cooperating?" the blond man asked.

"No boss, she won't even respond to the name, let alone fire a gun," the bulky man who dragged the little girl in replied.

A sadistic smirk appeared on the boss' lips as he told the bulky man to leave the girl with him, sending him out in the progress. As soon as the door is closed again, he got up from behind his desk to kneel next to the little girl.

"Let's see, what can we do to get those killer instincts out?" he asked as he lifted her chin, making sure she saw the smirk on his face.

She could only whimper as he pulled her up by her arm and pushed her over to the bed in the next room. He threw her down on his bed and all she could do was cry and scream as he caused her to feel pain in every possible way, on every possible place, and eventually welcome the darkness that suddenly surrounded her.

When she woke up, she was back in the dungeon where she had always been. She'd been here for about 3 years now, after the death of her parents she was taken away from their corpses and locked here.

Her parents had named her Serenity because she was very peaceful at birth and as a child. She hardly ever cried and almost never caused any havoc. The first day she'd came to this cold and dark place, they'd told her that from that moment on, her name would be Shadow. She always refused to answer to her new name, which resulted in a lot of beatings and rapes... She could only cry. She knew very well why they took her, but she also knew that if she ever gave them what they wanted, she'd just become an experiment. You see, this girl's last name was Bloodmoon. In her family, there were actual authentic supernatural genes of both the Werewolf and the Vampire, 2 of the most powerful beings of the night, running through the blood of its members. Scientists had been trying for years to get their hands on the genes, but they never succeeded. Serenity's father was a victim of these scientists but he got murdered because the genes ran in her mother's side of the family.

The sound of metal scraping against metal woke her up from her thoughts and she was once again roughly pulled out of her cell, a gun paced in her hands as they once again tried to make the killer instinct of the genes come out. If only they knew... If only they knew of the control she had over those genes...

**- 3 Years Later –**

By now, Serenity, or Shadow if you will, had become a lot stronger. About 2 and a half years ago, they'd turned their methods around. Now they believed that if they could make her stronger, make her believe that she could have limitless power, she would unleash the demonic genes within her and lose control over them. Oh boy, were they wrong. During these 2 and a half years, she'd been getting good food and a hard but excellent training, this good condition of her body only made it easier for her to work with the 2 opposing genes in her blood.

During her training, she'd found out that she was the only girl and she'd become friends with 2 boys that also had supernatural genes in them. One of them was Skylar, he was 16, tall and had yellowish blond hair with red streaks and a set of warm brown eyes to top it off. He was the owner of the Phoenix genes, a creature of fire. A second boy she'd come to befriend was Nathaniel, he was 17, about an inch taller than Skylar, had black hair with a green shine and electric green eyes. He was the owner of Thor genes, the god of thunder and electricity. The 3 of them had somehow sensed each other's genes and become friends, with the boys deciding to call her Midnight because of the way her hair looked: blue like the midnight sky with silver streaks in it that shone like stars. They even established a mental communication line.

- So, Midnight, when are you planning on ditching this place? - Skylar mentally asked her.

- I'm planning on tomorrow. - she replied.

The three of them were standing next to each other, working on their target practice.

- Why not tonight?- Nathaniel asked.

- I don't know...-

- Midnight, you should stop putting this off. - Skylar said, a light hint of annoyance in his voice.

Midnight let out a deep sigh.

_Yes, I have been putting this off for quite a while now... Ah screw this! We're getting out of this shithole tonight!_

- Fine, we're letting hell loose on this place tonight! - was her mental conclusion, the three of them smirked and continue their practice.

A few hours later, everyone was gathered in the large dining, hall, waiting for dinner to start. Midnight, Skylar and Nathaniel shot each other looks as they all knew that this was where their plan was to be set into action. About halfway through dinner, it started.

"Food fight!" Midnight screamed, indicating her 2 companions the start of the action.

In a matter of moments, the whole hall had turned into complete chaos and Skylar, Nathaniel and Midnight were running through the hallways. Just a few more corners, and they'd be out! When Midnight was younger, she'd somehow managed to steal plans from the boss' office, enabling them to take the shortest route out on their escape.

Meanwhile, in the dining hall, the boss was furious.

"Want me to go after them, boss?" one of his henchmen asked.

"And do what? You idiot! They have control over their genes, otherwise they'd never try to escape!" the boss yelled his reply just before getting up and firing a gun at the lamp in the middle of the room, causing it to break and glass to chatter down on the people in the hall.

"Silence! I want all of you worthless pieces of crap to clean this mess up! And then you'll be training without food for a week!" his voice boomed through the hall.

Everyone there hurriedly started cleaning up, afraid for their lives...

Midnight, Skylar and Nathaniel had been running at full speed for hours and were now miles away from the dungeons they were previously kept in. The three of them had found a small abandoned cottage and had decided to rest and discuss their further plans.

"I think it might be best to split up for a while," Midnight spoke.

The other 2 nodded in agreement.

"But how will we ever get in touch again? I mean, it's not like we have phones..." Skylar stated.

"No, but we have our minds don't we? I'm sure that we can find each other again one way or another, this connection we have can't just be broken from one moment to another," Midnight answered.

"She's right you know. We've even been able to walk into each other's dreams, even when one of us was sleeping yards away, and that takes a pretty strong connection," Nathaniel backed her up.

Skylar nodded.

"I suggest we stay here for the night and that we split up in the morning," Midnight said.

The others nodded in agreement as the three of them laid down for their last night of combined sleep, getting ready for their life of refuge.

Midnight was the first to wake up. It hurt her to leave her best friends behind so she decided to get up as quietly as she could and just walk out, leaving only a note saying _"I love you guys, but I just can't stand goodbyes. Besides, we'll see each other later so what's the point really. See ya! Yours truly"_

They'd probably be a bit angry with her later but that was the least of her concerns for now.

She started walking in a random direction until she reached a road, she decided to follow it and soon a truck came by, asking her if she wanted a ride. She politely declined and continued on her journey until she came to a small town. It was an extremely traditional town, but she liked it nonetheless. She leisurely strolled around the streets until she came to a weapon shop, a beautiful collecting of traditional Asian weapons in its display. She suddenly looked up as there was an older man standing on the other side of the glass, beckoning her in. she reluctantly entered and was greeted with a serene smile.

"So, you like traditional weapons?" he asked her with a smile.

"I love them, they're all so elegant," she replied, looking around the interior of the shop, there were more traditional swords and throwing knives but also old fashioned looking guns.

"Do you know how to use them?"

"I was only trained to use a gun," she replied, shifting her gaze to the man in front of her.

He seemed to be in his mid 40s, his hair slightly becoming gray, dressed in a traditional gi and hakama.

"I've seen you before, you've been in town for a few days now haven't you?"

"Yes, I have."

Midnight was starting to get a bit weary of this guy and her body started to tense, ready for any possible attack that might come.

"You've been sleeping on the streets have you not?"

She just nodded, narrowing her eyes slightly at his curiosity.

"How about I give you a place to stay and I train you on how to use every weapon I sell," the man said with a smile.

Midnight's eyes took the size of saucers.

"Okay, what's the catch?" she said.

"Nothing, nothing, I swear."

She narrowed her eyes even further and sent him a suspicious glare.

"Well, if you must know... My wife died a year ago and my only son has been called to become SOLDIER. I have no one left to teach the techniques of our family. I've seen you a few times now and you have a pure heart and I know you are strong enough to become a master in our techniques. So, what say you?"

Midnight let out a sigh, contemplating the idea. She'd been hearing rumors for a few days now that a company named Shinra was looking for recruits. For a moment she'd thought about volunteering, but she was afraid she'd end up in a similar situation like the one she just ran from.

"I'd love to be trained by you."

And so it began. Her training, and the old man was right, he really was training her in every weapon he sold.

* * *

Feel free to review, I love feedback, it can only help me improve :)


	2. Reunion?

**Disclaimer: **I, of course, do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters used in this story, they are all part of Square Enix and I thank the heavens everyday for having SE create them.

**Note: **a short note about the lay-out**  
**

"regular speech"

- mental speech -

_- genes speaking -_

_thoughts_

I think that about covers it, should anything be unclear, feel free to let me know :)

Again, Vincent's not gonna be in this one yet, but you gotta read it to follow the whole thing :)

Also, I'm planning on posting for this story once a week, I'll post sooner when I can write a part faster :)

And please, elt me know what you think :) Feedback can only help my improve :)

**Big thanks! **To dragondeathqueen and 555LordBacon666 for putting my story among their favorites after only when part :) And another big thanks to everybody who's read the first part, I really appreciate the interest :)

Greetz!

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 2: Reunion?**

**- 10 years later –**

She'd started her training 10 years ago, and by now, she'd gotten pretty damn good. Makuso-san, the man that'd been training and taking care of her, was extremely proud.

He watched her as she shot the targets he'd placed a considerable distance away from her.

"Very good, Midnight, very good," he was beaming with pride.

"You have done extremely well my dear. Come inside with me for a moment."

She followed him inside as he walked into the training room and sat down on the floor crossed-legged, motioning for her to take a seat as well.

She gave him a curious look as she waited for him to speak.

"Do you remember the friends you told me about, the boy with the fiery hair and the one with the electric eyes?"

She nodded, unsure of where he was going with this.

"Well, I've been hearing rumors about 2 boys being in SOLDIER that match your description."

She took a sharp intake of breath.

"I think it may be time for you to move on my dear. Don't understand me wrong, I am very fond of your presence, but your time here is up. I've taught you everything I could, now it is time for you to take your own place in the world and use the skills you've created," he spoke to her affectionately.

Midnight nodded, it was time to find her friends again. Skylar and Nathaniel...

The next day, she was saying goodbye to the man she'd almost come to see as a second father. She'd become taller than him, so she was looking down, but she still looked at him with the utmost respect.

"Have a safe journey, my child," he smiled up at her.

She nodded and left. Time for her next adventure.

A few weeks later, she arrived in Midgar, home of the Shinra corporation. She was leisurely strolling around when suddenly she heard someone disbelievingly say her name behind her.

"Midnight? Is that really you?"

She turned around and was greeted by a very familiar set of warm brown eyes and a head of firey hair.

"Skylar?"

"OMG I can't believe it!'

Skylar ran at her and immediately engulfed her in a bonecrushing hug.

"I thought I'd never see you again! Wow, you look good!" he said as he looked her up and down.

She was carrying a bag hanging from one shoulder, dressed in a pair of black platform boots, tight black leather pants, a leather corset and a long leather coat. For weapons, she was wearing a lopsided belt filled with throwing knives and a katana, a pirate style gun in a holster on her thigh and a pair of sais and kodachi strapped to her back underneath her coat. She also had a collection of small daggers hidden in her boots and corset.

"You sure like leather though," he added smiling.

"What can I say? I'm a lousy dresser," she replied jokingly.

"Have you seen Nathaniel yet?"

"No, I've only just arrived."

"You know what, we should get together with some of my other friends tonight! You'll love them!"

"I guess."

"Do you have a phone?"

She nodded and gave him her number, he told her he'd send her a message later, telling her where and when they were meeting. Midnight was happy to see her friends again, she never realized how much she'd been missing them until she saw Skylar today. She continued her stroll around town and decided to stay in an inn for the night. By the time she was settled in, her phone vibrated because of the message Skylar had sent her.

'_Meet us at Midgar's Gate at 8, Nathaniel will be psyched to see you ^^'_

It was 6.30 now so she decided to just have a quick shower. After her shower, she decided on a pair of dark jeans that hugged her thighs and went slightly wider at the bottom and were ripped at the knee, a black satin-like corset with a pair of fingerless gloves that reached just above her elbow. She put on her usual line of black eyeliner and added a bright blue eye shadow at the inner corner of her eye that faded to a darker shade in the outer corner and pulled her hair up in a bun with sharp hair stick that could serve as a weapon, showing off the piercings in her ears. In her left ear, she had 5 ear studs that were placed in a sort of zig-zag way, a tragus and an industrial, while on her right ear she only had 2 ear studs, one of which was a cross consisting of 2 pieces that created the illusion of it being a complete cross sticking through her ear with a thin chain going from the top of the cross in the front to the back of her ear, dangling down. She decided on a pair of black Vans for shoes and her trademark black leather coat. It was a simple design, form fitting at the top, going wider from her hips to the bottom, a collar that just reached her chin as she put it up and zipper from the top to slightly below the hips. She usually left it open though, keeping her belt of throwing knives, katana and gun in sight.

By the time she arrived, it was exactly 8 o'clock and just as she'd found a place to stand, she heard 4 pairs of footsteps coming her way.

"Come on Skylar, I wanna know why we desperately had to go out tonight!" a voice said.

"You'll see," Skylar answered in pure amusement.

They stopped right in front of Midnight and she smiled at Skylar as he placed Nathaniel right in front of her and took off the blindfold Skylar had made him wear. Nathaniel opened his eyes and couldn't believe what he was seeing. He knew those golden eyes!

"Midnight?"

"What, no hug? Come on Nathaniel, how could you possible forget about a Vampiric Wolf girl?" she said teasingly, giving him a smirk for emphasis.

"OMG Midnight! It's really you"

He immediately engulfed her in a bear hug.

"Look at you! You're beautiful! We have so much catching up to do, I haven't seen you in 10 years!" he said while holding her at an arm's length, still amazed that she was actually there.

"Yeah but not now, now we're just gonna be happy," Skylar said while putting an arm around Nathaniel's shoulder and leading him inside.

Midnight followed, as did the 2 other guys that had accompanied Skylar and Nathaniel.

They all sat down and Skylar did the introductions.

"Midnight, this blond bed-head here is Could Strife, and the dark-haired one is Zack Fair. Guys, this is Midnight."

Midnight nodded politely and soon a waitress came to get their orders. They spent their evening drinking and laughing at random things and stories. Midnight was enjoying the company, not only that of her old friends, but also that of her new friends. Zack almost seemed like an older brother to Cloud. She was worried about something though, at the bar and in a far corner, there were 2 men sitting. The one sitting in the corner had crimson eyes that reminded her of blood and the one at the bar had black eyes with a slight rim of crimson on the edge. She didn't trust them. They'd been staring at her for the entire time she'd been there, and she was sure they were staring at her because she'd gotten up to get a drink at one moment and their eyes had followed her every move and step as she walked to the bar, ordered and took her seat again.

Around midnight, they all decided to go home. They all said goodbye and Midnight made her way back to the inn where she was staying. When she entered the last alley before she'd reached her destination, she heard a hiss from somewhere further down the alley. Her eyes squinted in the darkness as she saw a figure standing before her.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Very simple. You!" the figure said as it stormed towards her.

She immediately recognized him as the man who'd been sitting in the corner of the bar and she easily blocked his attack, catching his mouth on the sheet of her katana, also realizing he was a Vampire as she saw his gleaming fangs bite into the wood. She easily pushed him back and got into an attack stance, hand on the hilt of her katana, waiting to strike him down in his second attack. He lunged again and in one swift movement she drew her sword and slashed it across him, leaving him in a bloody mess on the paves of the alley. She flicked the blood off her sword and continued on path. As soon as she'd entered her room, she sensed the presence of several more Vampires. She was almost surrounded.

_What the hell? They've left me alone for so long and now they're after me! I don't get it, I don't have anything that could be of any significance to them._

She decided to go to bed but leave the next morning, if these Vampires were really after her then there was no use in endangering others around.

She woke up early and packed her stuff, once again getting dressed in her leather combat outfit. After having breakfast she paid for her room and left. She continued walking and as soon as night had fallen, she once again felt the Vampires stalk around her in the trees of the forest she was walking through. Her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket as she received a message from Skylar.

'_Hey, where did you go? I was just at the inn and they told me you left...?'_

She replied his message by telling him she was being watched by Vampires and that she was travelling again to try and get them away from the towns to deal with them.

"Ok cut the charade now and just come out already," she growled as soon as she reached a clearing.

5 Vampires jumped down and attacked her, she easily blocked their attacks and gracefully weaved through them as if she were dancing, a rain of blood following her katana's every move. They kept coming in groups of 5 and by the time she'd killed 20, it was suddenly silent. She carefully sheathed her katana but kept her hand on the hilt as she knew there were more. A tall man with long silvery hair and crimson eyes suddenly stood in front of her. She instinctively got into an attack stance but he put his hands up in defeat.

"Please, forgive us," he spoke in a silky voice.

Midnight just stared at him.

"We know of the powerful creatures that run through your blood. And now that we've seen your power, we're very eager to get you to join us," he explained.

"And what if I respectfully decline?"

"Then we will respectfully have to keep on hunting you until you die."

She thought for a moment.

"You do realize that I'll just end up killing every one of you don't you?" she asked in an arrogant voice.

The Vampire in front of her looked slightly shocked.

"Bring me to your leader, I'll deal this with him," were her final words.

Her opponent nodded and led her through the forest, to a dark cave that gave home to a hidden mansion.

"Well Alexander, what have you brought me today?" the leader of the Vampires spoke as his loyal servant entered the room, a beautiful young woman with hair like the star-filled midnight sky at his side.

"This is the one, your majesty."

"How lovely, have you decided to join us, my dear?" he asked, a smile growing on his lips.

"I have come to make a deal with you," she says in her usual monotone voice.

"I don't do deals, my darling," he growled as his smile disappeared.

"Very well then, I've come to challenge you. If you win, I will join you, but if I win, you'll leave me alone for the rest of my life."

The old Vampire though about it for a moment, sizing up his opponent but then nodded and led her into a large training room, where he asked her to wait for a moment as he went to change. As soon as he came back, he was wearing an armor and had a large sword at his side and a shield in his hand. Midnight put her bag down and took off her coat, revealing her in leather armbands covered arms and bare shoulders. The Vampire smirked as he saw her pale skin, thinking it would be his soon.

He then lunged at her, she easily avoided his attack and mockingly hit him on his back with her sheathed katana as he flew past her. He turned around, sending her a glare that would terrify most but left her completely unfazed. He then attacked again, only this time it was much more skillful, almost graceful even, however, he was still no match for her as she skillfully blocked it and immediately answered with an attack of her own. They continued to attack each other and block each other's blows but Midnight could tell her opponent was getting worked up and he was almost at the limits of the power he had. His eyes were glowing bright red and his sword was moving at an incredible speed, but Midnight still had an advantage over him. They'd been fighting for almost 2 hours now and she was slowly but surely starting to feel a sense of fatigue coming up. She then decided to just put an end to it and created a bit of distance between her and her opponent, sheathing her katana in the process.

"Giving up... already?" the Vampire asked as he gasped for air.

"On the contrary, I'm just getting started," she replied as she lunged forward and changed into her wolf form in mid-air.

The Vampire could only look at her in pure shock as she jumped and pushed him to the ground, her paws keeping him down and she grazed his neck with her sharp teeth, leaving a small cut. She stepped back from him and he sat up as she changed back to her human form.

"I believe it's safe to say I win," she said in a smooth voice.

The Vampire slowly got up and looked at her in sheer amazement.

"So it is... But how is it possible? I could have sworn I only sensed a Vampire in you," he said, a confused look on his face.

"I have both the powers of the Wolf and those of the Bat."

"I see... Well, it was an honor fighting you and from now on we will leave you alone. Should you ever need any assistance, just call out to Lord Marius and we will be at your service," he said as he bowed slightly before her.

Midnight nodded, picked up her things and left the Vampires, continuing her journey.

When she was gone, a figure stepped out of the shadows and looked the Vampire leader in the eye.

"Why is she still free and alive?" he growled.

The leader was silent.

"I paid you to get her to us," he continued.

"You're her father, are you not?" the leader questioned.

The man in front of him only nodded.

"Then how can you wish her dead? Did you not see the potential she has? The power in her veins? She could be a goddess of our time and you just want to use her in experiments?"

"That is none of your concerns."

And with that, he just disappeared, reappearing in the Werewolf lair only moments later, ready to make a brand new deal and put a spanking new plan into action.


	3. Familiar Faces

**Disclaimer: **I, of course, do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters used in this story, they are all part of Square Enix and I thank the heavens everyday for having SE create them.

**Note: **a short note about the lay-out**  
**

"regular speech"

- mental speech -

_- genes speaking -_

_thoughts_

I think that about covers it, should anything be unclear, feel free to let me know :)

This part contains Vincent's first appearance in my story.

As usual, enjoy and please let me know what you think, I already really appreciate the interest in my story and I'd love it if you readers gave me some feedback, it can only help me improve :)

**Big thanks! **Once again to dragondeathqueen and 555LordBacon666 for their reviews :)

Greetz!

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 3: Familiar Faces**

**- 3 years later –**

By now, Midnight was 26 years old and had travelled over almost every part of the Planet. She'd kept in touch with Skylar and Nathaniel over the phone, texting and calling every once in a while. The last time Skylar had called, he'd told her that if she ever got back to Midgar, she should check out a place named 7th Heaven, it was where Cloud lived now. It was dark when she once again reached Midgar, she decided to return to the inn where she'd stayed 3 years ago and look for Cloud the next day.

"Get behind me Marlene!" someone yelled.

As she passed an alley, she heard a boy's voice followed by a whimper and a growl. She looked and saw 2 children standing against a wall, a boy with bronze hair and a girl with brown hair standing behind him. His stance was protective but Midnight knew they'd never be able to get away from this creature. Much to Midnight's annoyance, it was a Werewolf. After the Vampires had started to leave her alone, they'd 'replaced' them. They'd started following her, never challenging her, but always leaving a small number of casualties in every town she went, pulling just a bit of attention to the new stranger in town, it was unnerving. She'd managed to kill some of them, but there were still too many of them left for her liking.

_Damn it, I should've known they'd still be following me._

She let out a low growl as she stepped toward the creature, her face hidden in the shadows of the hooded cloak she was wearing. The Wolf turned its attention to her, let out a growl and attacked her at full speed. She dodged it with ease and moved behind it, placing her hand on the hilt of her sword in the process. The Wolf turned around and lunged at her again, this time she met him head on and easily slashed through it, making it fall to the ground with a large gash across its stomach. As soon as it hit the pavement, it disappeared. Midnight turned to the children.

"Are you all right?" she asked in her usual low, soft voice.

They both nodded, the girl was the first to speak.

"What was that?" her voice was still shaky.

"A Werewolf. You should go home as soon as possible, it's not safe for you to be out in the dark."

The girl nodded.

"What's your name?" she asked.

Midnight knelt down so she was at eye level with the girl, earning a curious look from the girl when the girl noticed her eyes were a bright gold.

"Call me Midnight."

"I'm Marlene, and this is Denzel," the girl smiled, pointing to the boy next to her.

Midnight just nodded and continued her way to the inn as she heard the children scurry away behind her, hopefully hurrying to get home.

As she entered her room, she threw her bag down in a corner and took of her cloak, letting her eyes scan the room and her senses scan the environment outside.

_6 Werewolves... Nothing I won't be able to handle should anything go wrong._

She pulled her hair out of the tight bun she usually kept it in and sat down on her bed, taking off her heavy boots and let out a sigh. She put her head down on the pillow and drifted off into a nightmare filled sleep.

Midnight woke up when a stream of light fell through the window on her face. She sat up and realized she'd gone to sleep in her clothes, not her best choice, but still effective should anything happen. She got up and rummaged through her bag to find the things she needed to freshen up. She went into the bathroom and took a quick shower. As she walked back into her room, dressed in only a towel, she noticed her reflection for the first time in months. She looked at the person standing in front of her in the full length mirror. Her dark blue hair almost looked black in its wet state, the silver streaks still standing out, her eyes were a brilliant gold, her neck, her collarbone, her pale skin... but then... her arms... they were covered in scars. She let out a soft sigh as she turned away from the mirror, put on her underwear and decided to dress in a pair of dark jeans, a black boy beater top and a pair of long, fingerless black gloves that reached up to her elbows. She slipped into her black sneakers while wrapping her dagger belt with her faithful katana around her hips, shrugged on her long coat, draped her cloak over her arm and decided to go downstairs and get some lunch, seeing as it was already noon.

After her lunch, she pulled the map out of her pocket again and looked for 7th Heaven. When she wouldn't find it (the map was too old) she decided to just stroll around Midgar, in hopes of finding it on the way. And find it, she did. It was already 5pm and she'd been walking around town for 4 hours when she finally saw a sign that read "7th Heaven". She looked inside through the window and noticed it was still closed. She pulled out her map and marked it with the place so she'd be able to find it easier later on. She continued her way around town, had dinner at a small local restaurant and then went back to the inn to change. She replaced the sneakers, jeans and boy beater by her usual heavy platform boots, leather pants and her leather corset. She put on a pair of leather arm pieces over her gloves and decided to take all of her armory with her. She didn't know what to expect when she met Cloud again so she wasn't taking any risks. By the time she'd once again reached the street where 7th Heaven was, it was dark outside and she saw lights on in the bar in the distant. When she was about halfway there, she heard a growl behind her. She turned around and was greeted by a rather tall man.

"Well well, if it ain't the very person I'm looking for," he said in a sugary voice, a smirk coming over his features.

Midnight just looked at him, sensing he was a Werewolf. He was tall, had a slightly tan skin, dark hair and black eyes with a crimson edge. He was dressed in a black suite with a dark green shirt and a knee-length coat.

"A woman of few words, as expected," he continued, Midnight still ignored him.

They stood in silence for a few more moments.

"Why are you here?" Midnight eventually spoke.

"I have orders to pick you up," he smirked.

_Damn this guy smirks a lot._

Midnight carefully pushed her cloak and coat back and softly put her hand on the hilt of her sword, signaling that she wasn't going without a fight.

His eyes followed her every move, his smirk never faltering.

"Don't worry, I'm not picking you up just yet. From what I've gathered you're going to that bar over there and I must say I'm curious to see how thing will turn out. Until we meet again," he said with a bow before walking off.

_For some reason, this guy looked familiar... I just can't say where I've seen him before..._

Midnight looked at his retreating form, not trusting him enough to turn her back on him just yet. She took in his words and was left slightly confused. She still had to figure out why the Wolves were after her. She thought they were keeping an eye on her to see whether or not she'd end up joining the Vampires, but now she just wasn't sure anymore. She had no idea why that man could possibly have orders to 'pick her up', only lord Marius knew of her Wolf powers, the Werewolves didn't. As soon as she opened the door to 7th Heaven, she was greeted by a relaxed atmosphere. People were sitting around, chatting amongst themselves. She slowly entered, carefully closing the door behind her and went to take a seat at the bar. She noticed several pairs of eyes on her, trying to figure out who she was since her face was completely hidden behind her cloak, she just chose to ignore them. A young woman with brown hair that went just past her shoulders suddenly stood in front of her.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked with a smile.

"Bloody Mary please," Midnight replied.

The young woman nodded and went to fix her drink. Midnight let her senses roam the room, looking for any possible Vampires or Werewolves. Every person in the room was human, except for one. She felt his presence in a dark corner behind her and looked into the mirror of the bar to see him. He was sitting at a table with several others, turned away slightly from the laughter filled conversation, legs crossed and stretched out in front of him, his arms crossed and his eyes focused on the back of her head. She took in his apparel, black clothing, tattered red cloak, red fabric wrapped around his head, nothing too unusual, until she noticed the gold. He had a golden claw for a right hand and gold tips on his shoes. He wasn't human. She tried to figure out what he was but couldn't put her finger on it.

_- That man has been staring at you since the moment you stepped in – _Ainra, her Vampiric genes, mentally told her.

_- Indeed, and I must say it's rather unnerving – _Manalani, her Werewolf genes, mentally said.

- Can either of you figure out what he is? – she questioned them.

_- We'll try – _Ainra said.

She was used to having mental conversations with the genes inhabiting her body. They often helped her through trouble but sometimes also unnerved her with their arguments. In this case, she was hoping they'd be able to help her.

The brown haired woman put her drink down in front of her and asked if she wanted anything else.

"I'm looking for a Cloud Strife," she replied, her monotone voice barely audible.

The woman gave her a questioning look but nodded anyway. She walked over to the table where the mysterious non-human was sitting and tapped a blond man on the shoulder, telling him somebody was there for him and then pointing at Midnight at the bar. Midnight saw him in the mirror and immediately felt a bit foolish for not noticing him sooner. He was still the same blond bed-head she'd met 3 years ago. He nodded to the woman and stood up, making his way over to her. He took a seat next to her as he tried to figure out who she was.

"Tifa told me you're looking for me," he asked as he slightly turned towards her.

Midnight nodded and slowly took off her hood. She heard the man in the corner take in a short breath but just ignored him.

"Skylar told me I could find you here," she said, looking him dead in the eyes.

Could just gave her a bewildered look, before it dawned on him.

"Midnight!" he exclaimed as his eyes lit up slightly in recognition of her golden eyes and the memory of the day Skylar had dragged them to a bar to meet her.

"Has Skylar been here?" she questioned, the corners of her lips pulling up slightly to indicate that she was happy to see Cloud.

Could nodded.

"He was here a few months ago, he left again about a week ago, I don't really know where he went but he said something about Wolves in town?"

Midnight nodded.

"Could you contact me when he comes back?"

"Sure, just give me your number and I'll give you a call."

Cloud got up and went behind the bar to get a piece of paper for Midnight to write her number on. By then, the brown haired woman, whom Midnight understood to be called Tifa, was back behind the bar and picked up her empty glass, asking her if she wanted another. Midnight just shook her head and began writing down her number on the piece of paper Cloud had handed to her. She gave it back to him, he nodded, and she left after paying for her drink.

"Could, do you know her?" Tifa asked as she saw Midnight walk out.

"Yes, she's an old friend. I met her while I was in SOLDIER. She's also a friend of Skylar."

Tifa just nodded.

Cloud returned to the table and resumed the conversations, answering their questions of who that blue haired woman was with a simple "an old friend".

_- Oh boy was she something eh Vinny –_ Chaos mentally spoke to Vincent, the man dressed in black, red and gold.

_- _Shut up Chaos_ –_

_- Awww come on, she was hot. Even though she was completely covered in that cloak, you could tell from those shining golden eyes there's something special about her. She's smoking, just admit it –_

Vincent didn't reply, he just pushed Chaos further back into his mind and continued to stare at his shoes, only half listening to the conversation his friends were having and thinking back to those shining golden eyes he'd seen the moment she'd taken off her hood.

_- _Figured anything out about that guy in the corner?_ – _Midnight asked her genes as she once again entered her room in the inn.

_- He seems to be human but from what I could tell, he has the genes of some sort of demon inside of him. – _Manalani said.

_- But we couldn't figure out what kind. His demon was too busy staring at you and thinking how attractive you are to let us get in touch with him. – _Ainra added.

Midnight just rolled her eyes and sighed. He was strange. Was there a reason why he was wearing that claw? If so, that 3 barrel gun on his thigh seemed slightly unnecessary. But then again, she herself loved both long and short distant fights.

* * *

I was wondering, has Square Enix ever revealed what's underneath Vincent's gauntlet? I personally don't know because I've only seen Advent Children and a bit of the Dirge of Cerberus footage. I started playing the FFVII game a few weeks ago but I haven't gotten that far yet. So if anybody knows why Vincent wears the gauntlet or what's underneath it, I'd really appreciate it if you'd let me know, it'd be a great help for my story :)

Thanks for reading!


	4. 7th Heaven

**Disclaimer: **I, of course, do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters used in this story, they are all part of Square Enix and I thank the heavens everyday for having SE create them.

**Note: **a short note about the lay-out**  
**

"regular speech"

- mental speech -

_- genes speaking -_

_thoughts_

I think that about covers it, should anything be unclear, feel free to let me know :)

Here it is then, part 4 of my story. I hope I can continue to capture your interest :)

**Big thanks! **Once again to dragondeathqueen for the review and for marking me as a fav author ^^ don't worry, you'll find out what happens soon enough :p Also a big thanks to TigerRaiken for the review, I'm really glad you enjoy the story :)

Greetz!

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 4: 7****th**** Heaven**

The next day Midnight spent most of her time in her room studying the map of the environment, only going downstairs to eat. At night, she had to go hunt. Ainra had told her she needed some new blood in her system so she put on her leather outfit, leaving her coat and cloak behind and decided to only take her pirate gun with her, just to have some form of armory if needed. She quietly leaped out of her window and made her way to the forest. The trees were glowing, making the silver strands in her hair stand out even in the bun she always kept it in. As she was running, looking for her prey, she felt somebody's eyes on her, but she couldn't figure out who they belonged to or what their owner was. Whatever it was, it's wasn't completely human.

_- It could be that man from the bar – _Manalani said.

_- _Possible, I'm not gonna worry about it now, I don't think it's a threat. – Midnight responded.

She soon spotted and animal and hid in the bushes, ready to catch it. She slowly but surely got closer and jumped, catching the animal off guard, and took it down with a swift bite to its neck. It was a clean kill and she slowly continued to suck its blood until none of it was left. All the while, she still felt that strange presence.

Vincent looked up as he heard something running through the forest that was too fast to be an animal. He made his way through the trees toward the running creature. What he saw, was definitely not what he was expecting. There was a woman running through the woods. And not just a woman, the woman he'd seen at the bar the night before. Her blue hair with silver strands and golden eyes shone brightly in the glow of the trees and he had to admit that she looked beautiful.

_- Told ya she was hot. Just look at that body man! – _Chaos came up again.

Vincent just growled.

_- I knew it! You're not denying it so you agree with me! – _if Chaos had a face, it would be overrun with glee.

Vincent just pushed him back again, he knew he was right but there was no way he was going to admit it to Chaos.

He carefully followed her but soon noticed he wasn't the only one. There were creatures on the ground following her, he sensed they weren't human but he wasn't sure what they were either. Their eyes were black as night with a crimson ring around the edge of the iris. He continued to follow the woman through the trees and then saw her jump on an animal and drain its blood. He was now almost exactly above her and was surprised when she spoke.

"Are you going to come out or are you going to continue playing monkey?" she asked in a monotone voice.

When he didn't respond, she slowly turned around and looked him straight in the eye.

_- Wow! Now that's something! – _Ainra immediately spoke in Midnight's mind.

_- I agree. – _Manalani followed in a dreamy voice.

Midnight just bore her eyes into the man's crimson ones, trying her hardest to ignore her genes. This confirmed her suspicion, he was the man that had been staring at her in the bar the other night. She had to admit, there was something about him, he was rather handsome as well. She followed his every move as he gracefully made his way down from the tree. He went to stand in front of her but kept his distance.

"Why did you drink that animal's blood?" he questioned her in a voice just as emotionless and monotone as her own.

She just looked at him, trying to figure him out but couldn't. His body language said nothing, his cloak covered his mouth so there was nothing there either. There was only one thing, his eyes. They had a slightly questioning look to them, but it was only barely noticeable

"Survival," was all she said before she made her way out of the forest and back to the inn.

She spent the last few hours and the whole morning of the next day asleep. By noon, she got up and went down for lunch, after which she went back to her room to take a shower and continue to study the map of the area. By 5pm she'd gotten a message from Skylar, telling her he was back at 7th Heaven, that Nathaniel was with him and that she should meet them there at 8. Midnight sent him a message to let him know she'd be there and continued her studying for a bit longer before changing into her leather outfit, complete set of armory and long coat. She got dinner at the inn and then made her way toward 7th Heaven. When she was almost there, she felt the presence of the man she'd encountered 2 days earlier. She turned around and greeted him by looking straight into his black and crimson Werewolf eyes.

"Well, look who we have here. My favorite prey," he said, an evil grin forming on his face.

Midnight turned her body slightly away from him and put her hand on the hilt of her katana in a stand that left her ready for pretty much any attack he'd throw at her. She didn't know why she was 'his prey', but wasn't going to take any chances. He gave her one last smirk before he lunged at her and aimed a right hook her way. She let go of her katana and easily dodged his attack, lowering herself to the ground in an attempt to kick his legs out from underneath him. He jumped up and she swiftly regained her upright position, her stance neither offensive nor defensive, but her body completely tense in anticipation of his next move. He continued to throw punches at her at a fast pace, swiftly switching between different places on her body, which she all dodged or blocked, throwing in a punch of her own here and there, all of which without success. He then did something she wasn't suite expecting. He thrust both his fist forward at her, forcing her to block both of them, as he used her hands to push himself up and send a kick into her stomach, making her stagger back several feet from the blow. They then just stood in front of each other for a moment, Midnight seemingly unfazed, the Wolf grinning at her. He took a few steps back before lunging at her and turning into his wolf form in mid-air, trying to push her down. Midnight easily saw him coming and jumped back, making him land in front of her, back in human form. They continued with their hand to hand fight as he suddenly managed to send another kick into her stomach, this time much more powerful, and made her fly back through the wall of 7th Heaven, all the way against the wall behind the counter. There weren't many people there but they all looked up in surprise as suddenly a figure flew in through the wall and over the bar and shattered the glasses behind the bar as well as the mirror there. Midnight hit the ground, a rain of glass following her. As she carefully got up, she realized the hair sticks she used to keep her hair in a bun had broken from the impact against the wall, making her long blue and silver hair cascade around her shoulders to her lower back. She looked at the Werewolf, he just stood there, a triumphant smirk on his face.

"Midnight!" she heard 3 people yell her name but she ignored them, shrugging off her coat and climbing on top of the bar with a look of murder in her eyes.

She took a big leap from the bar, changing into her Wolf form in mid-air, caught the Werewolf by surprise and knocked him to the ground, her paws on his shoulders, her teeth bared at him. He quickly regained his composure and kicked her off him. She changed back into her human form before landing gracefully on her feet and placed her hand on her sword in an offensive stand. The Wolf pulled out his own sword and lunged himself at her at full speed, she easily blocked his attack and pushed him back.

By now, the people who were inside 7th Heaven had come out to watch the fight, Skylar and Nathaniel with them.

"She's amazing," Tifa said, admiration in her eyes.

Skylar and Nathaniel only nodded. They knew Midnight was good, but they never knew she had gotten this good over the years. The rest of the group just stared at the fight before them. Vincent was amazed by her beauty, the silver strands in her hair shone as it whisked around her with every graceful move she made.

Midnight let the corners of her mouth curl up slightly in a smirk as she noticed her opponent was getting tired. The blood she'd drank the night before was giving her an extra edge he obviously hadn't been expecting. Their swords clashed together again and they pushed each other back, skidding to a halt.

"Well, you're stronger than I thought," the Werewolf said, his trademark smirk present.

Midnight stayed silent and stood upright, her eyes boring into her opponent's. The Wolf sheathed his sword, took a deep bow toward Midnight and leapt up a building, hurrying to get away. Midnight looked after him for a few moments before turning her attention to the group at the bar. She soon spotted Skylar and Nathaniel and her eyes lit up slightly as they sent her the brightest smiles and Nathaniel ran to her to lift her in a tight hug.

"Come here Midnight, you have to meet AVALANCHE," Skylar told her.

She gave him a questioning look.

"This is AVALANCHE?" she asked in her monotone voice.

She'd heard of the group that had managed to overthrow Shinra, however, she'd never expected to meet them in a bar.

Skylar nodded and put his arm around her shoulders, leading her inside the bar. Midnight looked around for her coat and found it behind the bar, she picked it up, shook the shards of glass off it and put it back on.

"I'm terribly sorry about your bar," she said to Tifa.

"Don't worry about it, we'll fix it. You're just lucky you didn't hit any of the liquor bottles," she replied with a smile.

Everybody sat down and Midnight looked around at the people in front of her, immediately recognizing the man dressed in black and red.

"Well then, let's introduce you to everybody. The redhead with the weird tattoos on his face is Reno, his buddy with the shades is Rude, the blond guy with the cigarette is Cid, you already know Cloud and Tifa and the brooding guy is Vincent. There are usually also 2 children here but they're not coming in 'til later," Skylar introduced her to everybody and they all nodded in acknowledgement.

"Well guys, this is Midnight," he smiled at all of them.

Just then, the door to the bar opened and 2 children came running in, followed by a large black man with a gun for a hand and a small ninja girl with short dark hair and an obviously bubbly personality.

"Hey guys, what's up? Wow, who are you?" she said all in one breath as she looked at Midnight.

"Midnight!"

Midnight recognized the children as Marlene and Denzel and Marlene obviously recognized her as well.

"How do you know this chick?" Cid asked Marlene.

"She saved us a few nights ago," she replied.

The group nodded, remembering their story about being rescued by a talented mystery woman.

"Hi, I'm Yuffi and the big guy is Barrett," the bubbly girl said, standing right in front of Midnight, smiling up at her.

Midnight just nodded.

"So, what's the deal with the 4 legs and stuff from earlier?" Reno asked, looking at Midnight.

Midnight just looked at Skylar and Nathaniel, mentally asking them if they should tell them about their genes. Skylar started to nod his head but Midnight gave him a look that stated that she didn't trust this group enough yet.

"It's all very complicated and in time we'll explain everything, just not now. I hope you can understand,' Skylar said.

"It's okay guys," Tifa said before Reno could protest.

Reno just sent her a look and then brought his eyes back to Midnight to show his suspicions of her.

"Well then, anybody want something to drink?" Tifa asked the group.

Reno, Rude, Cid and Vincent slightly raised their glasses, indicating that they wanted a refill, Barrett, Nathaniel and Skylar ordered a beer and Midnight ordered a Bloody Mary, gaining a curious look from Vincent. Yuffi went upstairs to put the children to bed and they all sat around the table and picked up conversation.

"So, how do you guys know Cloud?" Tifa asked Nathaniel, Skylar and Midnight as she set down the drinks and took a seat.

"Skylar and I met him in SOLDIER, that's also where Cloud met Midnight," Nathaniel explained.

"And how do you 2 know her?" Reno immediately asked.

He was surprisingly suspicious and Midnight didn't like it one bit.

"We were in school together," Skylar quickly answered with a smile.

"Yeah, oh, Midnight, remember that time when we had to go to this party?" Nathaniel threw in.

Midnight looked at him for a moment but then her face lit up and her eyes got a devious glint to them as she remembered the party they had all been forced to go to when they were 12. Some friend of the Boss, the man leading the institution they'd ran away from, was having a birthday party for his daughter and had asked the Boss to bring in some of the kids to fill up the room.

"OMG yeah! That was awesome!" Skylar continued.

The group gave them a questioning look.

Skylar turned his attention to them and started his story.

"There was this one time when we were invited to a birthday party, we were 12 I think. And the party was for this spoiled rich kid girl who was, of course, a complete slut, and she was wearing this strapless mini-dress. We were all sitting in a circle and she was sitting there with her breasts almost falling out of her dress and her legs open. We were about to play 'spin the bottle', when Midnight just got up and walked over to her and pulled that girl's dress up and pushed her legs closed while saying -"

"This is a birthday party, honey, not a peepshow!" Nathaniel joined in at the end of the story while bursting out in laughter.

The rest of the table followed suite, with the exception of Vincent of course who only let the corners of his lips turn up slightly behind his cloak. Midnight just curled her lips in a triumphant smirk, her fangs showing slightly. They continued the evening with other stories of their time together, coming from both Nathaniel and Skylar and AVALANCHE.

What they didn't know, was that over their heads another conversation was taking place from the moment Midnight and Vincent had locked eyes.

_- So, who and what the hell are you?- _ Ainra immediately cut to the case as soon as she and Manalani had gotten in contact with Vincent's demon.

_- Straightforward, I like that in a woman. – _Chaos gleefully replied.

_- I'm the chaos gene, and you may call me Chaos . Who and what might you be? – _he added when he didn't get a reply to his compliment.

_- I'm Ainra, a Vampire. –_

_- I'm Manalani, a Werewolf. –_

After their introductions, the genes stopped their communication in order to avoid the risk of being discovered by their owners. As the clock neared midnight, the group decided to go to bed. They tried to convince Midnight into staying at the bar, but she told them she needed to get her things at the inn first and that she would continue her stay in Midgar at 7th Heaven the next day. On her way there, she was brought up to date about the conversation her genes had had with Vincent's.

_So, he's got the genes of a demon, a chaos demon nonetheless... This might become interesting..._

After she'd entered her room, she took off her coat, boots and armory and let her hair down. She changed into an old oversized shirt and went to bed, her sleep once again filled with nightmares.

As Vincent went to bed that night, a pair of golden eyes and Chaos wouldn't stop plaguing his mind.

_- She's not human you know- _Chaos piped up as he noticed what his owner was thinking of.

- So I've noticed. –

_- She's got genes, just like you. – _Chaos said in a sing-song voice, hoping to provoke his owner into asking him what she was. This was so exciting for him!

Vincent's eyes widened for a split second, only to be replaced by their usual emotionless stare.

- If it's important, they'll tell us everything in due time. Now go to sleep! – was his conclusion and he once again pushed Chaos to the back of his mind.

_She's not human... That might explain why she drank that animal's blood... But still..._

Vincent soon erased every thought from his mind and drifted into a slumber, his body resting, but his mind a maelstrom.

"But sir! You didn't see her power!" a certain Wolf begged for mercy.

"I told you to bring her here! I know bloody well of her power, she's my daughter for a reason, and I want her here so my good friend and I can explore the limits of this power," a man said as he looked at a professor standing next to him.

The men were a rather odd pair. The one who spoke was handsome, wore a suit and had cropped brown hair that was neatly combed, while his companion looked like an enraged scientist. His greasy black hair pulled back into a ponytail and his glasses standing low on the bridge of his nose.

"You have one last chance, either you bring her to me, or you'll pay for your mistake," the man said before leaving the room, beckoning the scientist to follow him.

The Werewolf was confused. This man was willing to sacrifice his own daughter for some sort of fake science... He knew the scientist that was with him, he knew that he was the scientist who'd gotten a woman pregnant to experiment on their child. He decided to just let it go and try to catch this blue haired Wolf woman, he had to if he wanted to save his family.

* * *

**The fight between Midnight and the Wolf and Midnight flying through the well into the bar was the first idea I had for this story :)**

**I liked that image so much it made me think of a whole story around it, hope you guys like it as much as I do :)  
**


	5. Q And A

**Disclaimer: **I still do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters used in this story, they are all part of Square Enix and I thank the heavens everyday for having SE create them. Also, I'm using these characters to fill my pages without permission from SE, please don't be mad at me!

**Note: **a short note about the lay-out**  
**

"regular speech"

- mental speech -

_- genes speaking -_

_thoughts_

I think that about covers it, should anything be unclear, feel free to let me know :)

Here it is then, part 5 of my story. I hope you'll still have as much fun reading as I had writing it.

**Big thanks! **Once again to dragondeathqueen for the review! I love having such a dedicated reader/reviewer :) Next thank you goes out to HTM, your review made me smile from ear to ear ^^ also, thank you for adding my story to your favorites and for putting me on your alert list :) Last but definitely not least, a thank you for forevermare for putting me on your alert list as well :)  
Again, thank you to everybody who's been reading my story so far, it really means a lot to me that people take an interest in my little creation :)

Also, I've been working on a drawing of Midnight Bloodmoon. The basic drawing in her leather outfit should be finished today so I'll post a link to it on my profile and in the next part when it's online :)

Greetz!

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 5: Q And A**

The day after Midnight had met everyone at 7th Heaven, she was surprised when a loud knocking on her door woke her up around noon.

_Who the hell could that be? Damn! I've been sleeping a lot lately._

Before she'd come to Midgar, she'd had a habit of sleeping a lot less than she was doing now. As the knocking continued, she scurried out of bed and quickly pulled her hair into a messy bun, using a hair tie she'd found on her nightstand. As soon as the door was open, she was greeted with the sight of a smiling duo going by the names of Skylar and Nathaniel. She stepped aside and let them in and they let their eyes wander around the small room she occupied.

"What are you doing here?" Midnight asked them.

"We're here to pick you up," Skylar said with a smile.

"And we wanna know what the deal is with that guy you fought yesterday," Nathaniel added.

"Let me take a shower first, we'll talk after I'm dressed."

Midnight picked up the things she needed for her shower, along with a pair of dark wash jeans and her black satin corset. She quickly took a searing hot shower and put on her clothes and trademark eyeliner, coming out of the bathroom only 20 minutes after she'd entered it.

"So, spit it out," Skylar said from his position next to Nathaniel on her bed.

Midnight pulled out a chair and sat down on it backwards as she told them the story of everything that'd happened to her after they'd parted ways. Of Makuso-san and her training, of the Vampires and last but not least, the Werewolves.

"So that explains the Wolves in all those areas. I was starting to wonder why there were so many reports of sightings and odd killings moving through the Planet," Skylar said, a thoughtful look on his face.

"And you think this guy last night was a Werewolf?" Nathaniel asked.

"Yes. And I've seen him before. 3 years ago, when we were having a drink at that bar, I saw him sitting there. I didn't realize it the first time I saw him again, 3 days ago, but it clicked yesterday. And he had the eyes and scent of a Wolf, black with a crimson edge and a dog-like scent."

Skylar and Nathaniel nodded.

"Come on, we're gonna take you to 7th Heaven," Skylar said.

Midnight nodded and quickly collected the few things she'd brought along. By the time they'd once again reached 7th Heaven, it was nearing 5pm and Tifa was in the kitchen, getting dinner ready.

"Hey Tifa, could you give Midnight a room?" Skylar asked her.

"Sure, she can have Vincent's room for the night, I'll prepare another tomorrow," she said with a smile.

"Vincent's room? Where is he?" Skylar replied surprised.

"He went out of town for a bit, he should be back in a few days."

She dropped the knife she'd been holding and passed them on her way upstairs, Midnight and the others on her tail. She opened a door and motioned for Midnight to go inside. As Midnight entered the room she looked around and could hardly believe that it was occupied.

_There's absolutely nothing personal about this room..._

_- And every room you ever stay in truly feels like home. – _Ainra said in a sarcastic voice.

"I'll get you another room tomorrow, hope this is okay for now, "Tifa said.

Midnight just nodded as Tifa left the room to get back to dinner. Midnight set her things down and sniffed around the room. Vincent had been there not too long ago... He was a mystery to her. He wasn't human, but the Chaos demon. She'd heard the Boss talk about a demon like that once, but she never knew any details about it. She brushed it off and decided to go see if maybe she could help Tifa with dinner in the kitchen. By the time she came downstairs, she heard voices coming from the other room and figured the rest if the group she'd met before was there.

"Hey, can I help out with dinner?" she asked Tifa in her monotone voice.

"I'm about done, you can set the table if you want though," Tifa replied with a smile.

Midnight nodded and picked up the plates and utilities Tifa had placed on the counter. As she entered the other room, all eyes went to her direction for a moment but she pretended she didn't notice.

"Who died?" Nathaniel said as he and Skylar entered the room only moments after Midnight.

"So, Midnight, you're gonna be staying here now?" Reno asked, suddenly realizing that he'd been staring.

Midnight just nodded.

"Damn woman! Why don't you ever speak? You're like a female Vincent or something!" Yuffi suddenly said, frustration dripping off every word.

Skylar was about to answer but Midnight interrupted him.

"I hardly ever see the need to speak. Why waste energy on something that often has more chance of providing you with negative consequences rather than positive?" she said in one breath and her usual monotone voice.

The group stared at her.

_- Did she seriously just say this much? – _Ainra asked Manalani.

_- Yep, she sure did. – _Manalani replied.

Midnight mentally rolled her eyes at her genes' comments.

"What's going on?" Tifa asked as she entered the room carrying a big bowl of potatoes.

"Midnight just said a whole sentence," Yuffi said, surprise still evident on her features.

Tifa just shrugged and asked Cloud to help her bring the rest of the food from the kitchen to the dining room. They set everything down and everybody filled their plates with food, the rest of dinner was silent as everybody focused on the delicious good in front of them. Skylar, Nathaniel and Midnight offered to clean off the table and do the dishes, afterwards they all headed to the bar and sat down as more and more customers started to fill the remaining tables.

"We'll help you fix the bar tomorrow," Skylar said as Tifa served the customers with the last glasses she had, her reserves included.

"Sure, don't worry about it," she replied.

"So, what's the deal with you anyway?" Reno asked Midnight, leaning slightly more towards her.

Midnight gave him a questioning look, he was too close for comfort. He was too close the moment he'd taken a seat next to her. She leaned slightly more toward Skylar, who was sitting on her left, as Reno gave her a sly grin.

"You got a boyfriend or somethin'?" he asked.

"If only you knew that eh," Midnight replied, returning his sly grin.

Reno's face fell for a second but he quickly put a smile in place.

"You're feisty, I like that," he concluded, leaning back again, once again with a sly grin.

"Midnight? Who was that man you were fightin yesterday?" Cloud asked her from opposite her.

Midnight was relieved to be rid of Reno and his grin. He unnerved her.

"Cloud? Could we talk to you in private for a moment?" Skylar said before Midnight had to answer.

Cloud nodded and led them out back and let them take a seat on a bench in the garden. The group's eyes following them until they were out of the bar with curious looks.

"Cloud, remember when Nathaniel and I told you about our genes?" Skylar asked.

Cloud nodded.

"You're Phoenix and Nathaniel is Thor."

Skylar nodded and continued, "yes, but the thing is, Midnight owns 2 types of genes."

Cloud switched his attention to Midnight, silently asking for her to explain things herself.

"I'm the owner of the Wolf and the Bat, a Werewolf and a Vampire. Their names are Manalani and Ainra."

Cloud nodded.

"Do you have full control over both of them?"

"For as long as they're in conflict, it's a breeze. It gets more difficult when they work together, but for as long as I don't will them out, I'm perfectly fine and I don't really have any trouble controlling them. I can let either one of them out on their own easily as well, it's when they come out and work together when trouble begins."

"You should tell the rest of the group. They're more than trustworthy."

"I know, but this isn't really something we wanna throw out there," Nathaniel replied.

"We'll wait 'til Vincent's back and then you guys can tell everyone at once," Cloud said.

They nodded and returned to the bar, Skylar and Nathaniel joining in on the conversation again, Midnight saying a few words here and there but keeping to herself most of the time. By midnight, every one made their way home and to bed, getting themselves ready for the next day.

Midnight entered her room and was slightly surprised by the intensity of Vincent's scent. It was still very present. She changed into a large shirt and laid down on the bed, glad that the sheets had been switched. She wasn't sure what she would've done if the bed still smelled of him, she probably would've slept sitting down against the wall or something. She closed her eyes and let herself drift off into her memories.

Skylar sat on his bed, Midnight plaguing his mind. He'd wanted to have a decent talk with her. He knew _what_ she'd been doing the last few years, now her wanted to know _how_ she was doing. When they were still at the institution, she'd started cutting herself. She never spoke about it but he and Nathaniel had noticed. A knock on his door made him look up. He opened the door and Nathaniel stood in front of him.

"You're worried about her too, aren't you?" he asked as he came face to face with Skylar.

Skylar nodded and moved aside to let Nathaniel in.

"I just wish we'd be able to get to her, you know? I mean, she used to cut, do you think she still does it?" he asked.

"I really don't know. She still covers her arms, but that might just be out of habit. We've gotten closer to her than anybody ever has, but she still keeps a lot to herself. Hell, we only knew about what the Boss did to her because we heard her screaming in her sleep once," Nathaniel sighed.

Skylar sat down on his bed, Nathaniel was sitting on a chair opposite him, and just let his head hang low.

"Come on man, she'll be fine," Nathaniel tried to encourage him.

"I don't know Nathaniel. She's holding too much inside. For all we know she can wake up screaming tonight and she'll be bombarded with annoying questions. I know we can trust everybody, but she doesn't know that. She likes to keep things to herself, she likes to solve her own problems, she likes to take care of things on her own."

"I know, but we have to trust her. She'll soon realize that the group is trustworthy, just give her a minute. We've agreed to tell the group about us as soon as Vincent's back. I'm sure she'll come through, she's not one to just back out of things."

Skylar nodded, and Nathaniel slowly got up from his chair. The bid each other good night and Nathaniel returned to his room as Skylar got ready for bed. They were both still worried about their friend, she'd been through a lot, but they were also confident that they'd be able to fix things.

* * *

Thanks for reading! ^^


	6. Haunting

**Disclaimer: **I still do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters used in this story, they are all part of Square Enix and I thank the heavens everyday for having SE create them. Also, I'm using these characters to fill my pages without permission from SE, please don't be mad at me!

**Note: **a short note about the lay-out**  
**

"regular speech"

- mental speech -

_- genes speaking -_

_thoughts_

also, in this part, there's a dream and I've also typed that _like this  
_

I think that about covers it, should anything be unclear, feel free to let me know :)

So, here I am again, this time with part 6 :)

I managed to finishe the pencil sketch of Midnight, you can find it here: .com/art/Midnight-Bloodmoon-basic-174197744  
it's a very simple sketch but I'm working on a color version, it may take a while to finish though.

**Big thanks! **To HTM, dragondeathqueen and forevermare for your reviews, I can not explain the joy it brings to know that there are people that like my story and are eager to find out more :) it's a really big help to keep on writing! HTM, I'm afraid you'll have to wait for one or two more parts before you can find out about how AVALANCHE reacts to the genes :p Also, a big thanks to dragondeathqueen for the message :) I really, really, really appreciate it and Happy Birthday by the way! ^^ if I understood correctly, you celebrated it last week :)

Greetz!

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 6: Haunting**

Vincent easily moved through the forest on his way to the Crystal Cave. He had to see her, he didn't know why, but as he was staying at 7th Heaven, he suddenly felt the need to consult his lost love, Lucrecia. After he'd arrived, he sat down on the ground in front of her and looked at her crystal covered form.

_She's still so beautiful..._

_- Sure, but ya gotta admit, that Midnight's definitely something as well. – _Chaos piped up.

He'd been bothering Vincent a lot since Midnight had arrived. Constantly trying to convince him into asking Chaos what type of genes she harbored. She'd only been around for 3 days or so, but already Chaos wouldn't let Vincent rest.

_- _Just leave Chaos. Let me have my peace for now. -

Chaos didn't reply, but Vincent felt him return to a less conscious part of his mind. Vincent leaned back against a tree and closed his eyes for a moment, falling asleep without realizing it.

"_Vincent?" a female voice said through the darkness._

_Vincent knew that voice... He'd heard it countless of times before._

"_Lucrecia?" he asked._

"_Of course, silly, who else?" a brown haired woman appeared in front of him, amusement evident in her brown eyes._

_She was his lost love, the one he hadn't been able to protect, the one he'd been forced to let go... The one death he blamed on himself more than any other..._

"_You're supposed to be sleeping..."_

"_And you're not! Come on Vincent, the group needs you now. There are a lot of things waiting to be revealed to you and your friends. Go now, Vincent, they need you," was her conclusion as she slowly but surely disappeared into the darkness._

"_But Lucrecia! Wait!"_

_But she was already gone._

Vincent woke up but didn't immediately open his eyes. He still couldn't believe how he'd been able to let her go.

_There are things waiting to be revealed... I wonder what she means by that..._

Midnight confused him. He couldn't figure her out, the whole group of AVALANCHE had been easy enough to figure out, their intentions were clear from the very beginning, but he couldn't seem to find out what Midnight's plans were. Maybe his confusion was what had driven him to visit Lucrecia... He didn't know. He decided to let it go and go back to the mansion in Nibelheim for a day before returning to 7th Heaven. He still had a lot of research to do in the files that were left there.

Midnight once again woke up to sunlight streaming through her window and onto her face. she slowly but surely got out of bed and collected her things for a shower. She decided to simply change into a pair of dark jeans and a black long sleeved shirt, figuring she should wear something comfortable since they'd be fixing the bar. When she entered the dining room downstairs, she almost ran into Cloud.

"Oh, you're just in time. Tifa's just finished making breakfast," he said as he turned around and Midnight followed.

She looked around the table, trying to decide where to take a seat. Clockwise there was Yuffie, Marlene, Denzel, Cloud, 4 open seats and Reno. She took a seat a chair away from Reno, who was arguing with Yuffie about materia. Skylar and Nathaniel came down moments later and took their places on both sides of Midnight. Tifa set everything down on the table and then took a seat herself as everybody helped themselves to eggs and toast.

"Midnight, I'm gonna go get the materials we need to fix the bar in town after breakfast, you coming with me?" Cloud asked her.

She just nodded and got up to put away her empty plate. The others soon followed and Midnight quickly helped Tifa do the dishes before going into town with Cloud, Skylar and Nathaniel, whom had offered to help them carry.

"I'd take my motorcycle, but since there's 4 of us and we'll be carrying a lot, it seemed pointless," Cloud said.

They walked in silence for a moment before Midnight suddenly stopped. The 3 men gave her a curious look as her eyes pierced her surroundings.

"Anything wrong?" Skylar asked.

Midnight shook her head no and they continued on their way.

- It's that Wolf from the other night. He's been following us since we were 2 blocks away from the bar. – she mentally informed Nathaniel and Skylar.

Nathaniel and Skylar let their senses roam and mentally confirmed Midnight's thoughts, it was the Werewolf that had attacked her earlier, along with a few other Werewolves.

- Don't worry about it, it's fine for as long as he's quiet. – she told them.

Cloud led them to a lumber shop where they got the necessary wood and a glassblower to get a new mirror for behind the bar. By the time they were back, it was already time for lunch. Tifa smiled as she greeted them and placed the sandwiches on the table. Yuffie came in with the kids and everybody sat down and enjoyed their lunch. Yuffie helped Tifa with the dishes as Cloud, Skylar, Nathaniel and Midnight got to work in the bar. They put the new mirror in place and sawed the boards to put up new shelves.

"You know, Midnight, you're a pretty hard person to fly into a wall and break that much," they suddenly heard a voice say behind them as they finished putting up the last shelve.

They turned around and were greeted with the sight of Reno.

"Come back for some more free food?" Tifa asked as she came into the bar and sent Reno a teasing smile.

He just shrugged and Tifa looked at her handy workers.

"Great, you guys are almost finished."

"Yep, we'll fix the wall after dinner," Skylar said, proud of the work they'd done so far.

"Okay, dinner will be ready in about half an hour."

They nodded and started to clean up the mess they'd made from sawing the boards, Reno sat down on a bar stool and just watched them, his head cropped up on his hand as his elbow rested on the surface of the bar.

"Ya know, watching people work makes me tired," he said with a slight yawn.

The 4 of them just gave him a glare and continued their cleaning. Tifa soon served dinner. They ate in comfortable silence, Reno left and the wall of the bar was fixed. It was only 9pm and Midnight excused herself.

"I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back soon," she said as she put on her coat and left the bar.

Skylar and Nathaniel nodded knowingly, Midnight needed to hunt. Because of the fight and the fact that she was on constant alert from the Wolf, she needed blood sooner than usual. Cloud gave them a questioning look.

"Blood," Skylar said and Cloud nodded.

He didn't get a chance to ask them anymore as Tifa and Reno joined them in the bar. Officially, it was closed for the night but they'd often just sit there and enjoy a quiet drink. They started a conversation and soon the clock reached midnight and they decided to go to bed.

"Shouldn't we wait for Midnight to come back?" Tifa asked, a worried look on her face.

"Don't worry about her, she'll be back soon. Besides, she likes coming home to silence," Nathaniel said.

Tifa just nodded and made her way upstairs after leaving a note on Midnight's door that she'd prepared a different room for her and that she was free to switch at any time.

Midnight ran through the forest with ease, eagerly looking for her prey. The last few days had put a strain on her Vampire genes. She usually only needed blood about once a week, but the fight and the constant heightened level of awareness had put a bit of a strain on her. She spotted her prey and caught it with the usual ease. Drinking the blood of animals didn't give her as much strength as the blood of humans would, but there was no risk of addiction like there was with humans. She had more control over her thirst. She aimlessly roamed around the forest, the glowing trees giving her a strange sense of comfort she hadn't felt in a while. The Werewolves that usually followed her were still around, but they kept more distance, the glowing trees making it more difficult for them to hide. Midnight climbed up a tree and took a seat on a branch, simply enjoying the silence. By the time she got back to the bar, it had already reached 2am. She entered without a sound and saw the note Tifa had left on her door, she quickly collected the few things she had and moved to the other room where she just set her things down, took off her coat, let her hair out of its tied state and went to sleep in her clothes.

In the basement of Shinra mansion, a certain raven haired man was reading through the notes of a certain female scientist he was once ordered to protect. Vincent let out a sigh as he once again finished another booklet of notes on the experiments Hojo had done on any random person he'd been able to get his hands on. He slowly got up from the chair he was sitting in and scanned the shelve of books and folders he hadn't read yet. Eventually, he decided to just start reading the booklet that came after the one he'd just finished.

_Well, another day at the lab. The thoughts of what Hojo will do to the life growing inside of me frighten me, but I know it will all be for the greater good. The man that was brought in today is rumored to posses supernatural genes. So far, we only know of the Chaos gene, imagine what we might be able to do if there were more and other types of genes out there! I can hardly contain my excitement!_

_**Day 1**__: the subject is brought in and is asked to fill in a questionnaire about his life, family, friends,... From his answers, we've learned that he is married and is a father to a little girl. He's here of his own will and accepts that we cannot take any responsibility for anything that might go wrong during the course of experiments. So far, we have no significant signs of the presence of any other genes than human._

_**Day 2: **__the subject is tested for the first time. We start simple, we present the subject with different types of fluids, including human and animal fluids, while the subject is deprived of sight by a blindfold and the subject's reactions are observed. Based on our knowledge of the Chaos gene, the subject might show a different reaction to, for example, human blood than the average human does. Unfortunately, there are still no significant signs of the presence of genes._

Vincent continued to read through the process of experiments Hojo did on the man. In a matter of days, the innocent tests had turned into different methods of soft torture. After day 15, Hojo had started inflicting actual wounds, trying to trigger a healing reaction but nothing ever happened. Day 38 was the last day that Lucrecia wrote of, her handwriting not near as neat as it had been during the first few days, a clear sign of how horrified she was.

_**Day 38: **__the subject is once again tested for any type of supernatural gene. Though the previous experiments have shown no results, the professor is rather optimistic about today's. The subject is placed on a hard wooden chair, wrist strapped to the armrest and legs strapped to the chair legs. 2 pins are shot from the chair into the subjects hands, resulting in a scream but still no signs of genes. The professor starts his questioning again._

"_Why don't you use the power of your genes?" _

"_I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have any genes."_

_A smaller pin shots out from the chair and into the subject's finger, pushing his nail straight up and nearly ripping it off. The only result is another scream from the subject._

"_The genes were a part of my wife's side of the family! I don't have anything! I swear, I will give you my daughter, just please, stop this! I cannot take anymore! Please let me live! My daughter! She has them! Vampires and Werewolves, she has the genes!"_

_The subject is released and its wounds are treated. The experiments have failed, a different subject is needed._

Vincent stopped reading. Apparently there was a woman who possessed the genes of the Vampire and the Werewolf, at least, that was his conclusion from what he just read.

_- Told you so. – _Chaos said in a sing-song voice.

- Are you saying that Lucrecia wrote about Midnight? –

_- Why don't you go back to Midgar and find out? –_

Vincent put away the notes and checked his phone. Cloud had left him a message saying they needed him back at 7th Heaven, there was a lot of explaining to do. Vincent wondered if it had anything to do with Midnight and the fact that she wasn't human. He decided to simply let it rest until he got there and quickly started on his journey back to Midgar.

* * *

That's all folks, thanks for reading :)


	7. So, what's the deal with you guys?

**Disclaimer: **Much to my regret, I still do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters used in this story, they are all part of Square Enix and I thank the heavens everyday for having SE create them. Also, I'm using these characters to fill my pages without permission from SE, please don't be mad at me!

**Note: **a short note about the lay-out**  
**

"regular speech"

- mental speech -

_- genes speaking -_

_thoughts_

I think that about covers it, should anything be unclear, feel free to let me know :)

Here it finally is, part 7, I hope you'll enojy it :)

Don't forget, I love feedback ^^

**Big thanks! **To dragondeathqueen for the review :) really appreciate it! And thanks to StarnightX for adding my story to your alert list ^^

Greetz!

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 7: So, what's the deal with you guys?**

The next day passed by rather uneventful, Midnight, Skylar and Nathaniel strolled around Midgar, the guys remembering where everything was and Midnight mostly discovering new things. They had lunch in a cozy little café and then continued their stroll around the city.

"You're not going to leave us again, are you?" Nathaniel asked after a while.

Midnight just stared ahead of herself, pondering over his question for a moment.

"Only if I have to. The Wolves are leaving casualties and it's only a matter of time before the people here discover either them or the fact that people getting hurt at night might be connected to me."

"Maybe you should just confront them," Skylar said.

Midnight shook her head no.

"That'd be a bad idea. I don't know where their headquarters are. It might as well be very close and if I do end up confronting them, chances are I'll end up being overrun and killed. So far, I know there's about 30 of them that switch watch on me. They usually stay for about a day, sometimes 2, but they never leave until the next team is already there. I know, 6 or 12 Wolves shouldn't be too hard to deal with but if they can switch watch like that then they should have at least some sort of camp nearby, and 30 Wolves is a bit too much for me to handle all at once."

"But we can help you," Skylar said.

"And I'm sure that once AVANALCHE knows everything, they'll be ready to help us as well," Nathaniel added.

Midnight said nothing. Dinner was nearing so they decided to return to the bar. By the time they arrived, the rest of AVALANCHE was there as well, they all greeted them and Marlene immediately wrapped her arm around Midnight in a welcome hug. Midnight awkwardly pat her head and carefully guided her away from her, turning the corners of her mouth up ever so slightly. The three of them took a seat at the table they'd made by putting a few tables together in the bar. Midnight noticed a red tiger with a flaming tail lying on the floor next to the chair she was sitting on and gave it a slightly questioning look.

"Allow me to introduce myself miss, I'm Red XIII or Nanaki, whichever you prefer," he said in a smooth.

"Midnight," Midnight replied and gave him a slight nod.

"It's a pleasure miss."

"So, why did you want all of us here Cloud?" Yuffie's loud voice boomed over all other conversation as she stood up from her chair and placed her hands flat on the table.

Everyone went silent and sent Cloud a questioning look.

"I'll tell you when Vincent gets here."

"Awww, who knows when that'll be? He's always so slow, we never know when he comes back!" Yuffie immediately protested.

"You do now," a deep voice said from the door.

Midnight turned around and was greeted by Vincent's crimson eyes boring into her gold ones, she hated to admit but she was actually kind of glad to see him.

_- Come to mamma! – _Ainra immediately piped up in her mind.

Midnight just ignored her and continued to stare Vincent dead in the eye. It seemed as though they were trying to pull each other's deepest thoughts out of their minds. In reality, they were just waiting for the other to make a move, they knew things about each other, but didn't dare speak of them. They both knew of the complications brought along by supernatural genes, they both knew it was a very personal subject.

In Vincent's mind, Chaos was having a field day.

_- Soooooooooooo, Vinnie. You just gonna stand here and stare at her all day? Yes, she's gorgeous but if you're gonna get anywhere you'll have to open your mouth and speak. Her genes already like you, it's just a matter of time before we can get her someplace secluded, rip off those clothes and –_

- Shut up Chaos –

_- Oooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh touchy aren't we – _Chaos snickered.

"Okay, Vincent's here so now you can tell us why we all had to come out here!" Yuffie suddenly yelled.

"First we're going to have dinner, we can talk afterwards," Tifa said coming out of the kitchen carrying dinner.

Yuffie huffed and sat down again, a scowl on her face. Vincent took the last open seat next to Midnight and they all ate dinner, a bit of light conversation going around. Cid was telling them about his latest air trips to different places on the Planet, Reno made a few lame jokes here and there and soon dinner was over. It was already 8pm and slowly but surely customers started to come into the bar. Yuffie let out a frustrated sigh, realizing she wasn't going to hear anything interesting until everybody was gone again.

"Hey Vincent, your room is still available, Midnight stayed in it for a night but it's free again so you can stay if you want to," Tifa said.

Vincent just nodded. The group had gotten some drinks and were just talking about random things, Midnight and Vincent mostly keeping to themselves. Their genes however, were having a conversation of their own again.

_- So Chaos, what's up? – _Ainra asked.

_- Nothing much, this guy just won't stop whining about his past. – _he replied.

_- His past? –_

_- Yeah. I can't tell you any details, but there was this chick. He was supposed to protect her or something but he fell for her and we all know that shit goes down the drain when something as stupid as love comes along. –_

_- Tell me about it. People just ruin their lives for it. –_

_- But hey, does Midnight think Vinnie's ugly or something? – _Chaos wondered.

_- Not that we know of. Why? – _Manalani said.

_- You think you might be able to get her in the mood for a lil' action? –_

_- Oh. I don't know... It's a little complicated... We can't tell you too much about it, it's something she has to tell people herself. – _Manalani said before Ainra could open her big mouth and spill everything about their mistress.

Midnight gave Vincent a look. Somehow, she had no idea how, but there seemed to be a mental connection between them. She figured her genes were talking to Chaos and she told them to come back before Vincent might catch onto anything.

- Ainra, Manalani, what are you doing? – she scowled them.

_- Just talking to Chaos for a minute. – _Ainra said in the most innocent voice she could muster.

- Anything I should know about? –

_- Nope. –_

- Manalani? Anything I should know about? –

_- Well, there might be something be we can't tell you mistress. It's rather personal. –_

- I understand. –

Manalani had always been much easier to control than Ainra. Ainra always wanted power, Manalani wished for the same thing, but Manalani was much older and had learned to come to terms with the fact that she could only survive thanks to humans and that taking control over them would only weaken them, rendering them useless.

Vincent noticed the look Midnight was giving him. He'd also noticed that Chaos was doing something outside his mind. He had no idea what and there was no way for him to tell what, he only concluded that he had to put more control on him. He couldn't risk Chaos somehow corrupting minds other than his own. He suddenly felt Chaos' presence enter his mind once again.

- Where were you? –

_- Just having a little conversation with the girls. – _chaos replied in a smug voice.

Vincent let out a small sigh and just pushed Chaos back to the back of his mind. He wasn't sure who 'the girls' were, but if his suspicions were correct, then he'd been talking to Midnight's genes.

The bar was slowly but surely clearing out, around 1am, the customers were gone and the group were the only people left in the bar. Cloud helped Tifa clean up the glasses as Yuffie impatiently hopped up and down in her seat.

"Can we finally know why we're here?" she said in an annoyed voice.

"Well, it's actually about us," Skylar said, motioning to Midnight, Nathaniel and himself after everybody had resumed their seats.

"So, what's the deal with you guys?" Reno lazily asked.

"Well, we didn't exactly meet in school. We met in some institution. We never knew just what kind of organization it was. All we did know, was that they brought in little boys around the age of 8, to be trained. After a while, some of them were taken away. They were never the same if they came back, most of them just disappeared for life. Even if they came back, they often ended up disappearing anyway. I was one of those boys that was brought there. My parents had been killed and they'd dumped me in that organization. When I got there, I heard them say things about genes and they promised me unlimited power if I did as they said. I was forced into training. If we didn't finish our assignments, we'd get beaten. The thing is, I was born with genes. I've had the genes of Thor, god of thunder and electricity for as long as I can remember. When I got to the organization, I already had full control over them, I didn't believe any of their promises. I was there for about a year when Skylar came," Nathaniel explained.

"I was 8 as well when I got there. They told me the same thing, I'd get unlimited power if I did as they said. I was forced under the same rules. Do as told, finish everything on time, or get beaten. By the time I was 10, I had the skills of a trained sniper, so did Nathaniel. We were with the best ones of our group, we'd hardly ever get beaten. The others were less fortunate... Part of the reason I survived is the fact that I've had my genes since birth as well. I have the genes of the Phoenix, the firebird. Midnight here joined us when I was 14. As far as I know, she's the only girl that's ever been there and it's thanks to her that we now know that we were brought there because they thought we owned supernatural genes from birth. We did, but we also knew that it would mean the death of us if we ever showed them to them," Skylar said, shifting his gaze to Midnight.

Midnight felt all eyes move to her. Her gaze was fixed on a spot on the table, she hated speaking of this. The things that had happened to her in the past were nobody's business, she didn't care much for their trust either, but she didn't really have a choice. She was going to keep out the details though... Those were part of a burden meant for no one but her.

"I was brought there when I was 9. They told me that from that moment on my name was to be Shadow. I never responded to it, which of course ended in punishment. I spent 2 years disobeying them, sleeping in a cold dungeon and living off water and bread. I knew why I was there, they somehow knew I had genes and they were trying to get them out of me by torture. When I didn't cave, they changed their strategy. They started to train me, like they did with the boys, hoping that by getting stronger, I'd want more and more power. I already had all the power I wanted, I had full control over my genes. I was 11 when I joined Skylar and Nathaniel," Midnight told them, her voice a constant and emotionless.

"We became friends instantly. Our genes could somehow sense each other and established a mental connection, which even now allows us to contact each other through telepathy. 3 years after Midnight had joined us, we started a food fight in the cafeteria at dinner and ran away. After a night of sleep, we decided to split up, make it harder for them to find us. I ended up going to a small village and got taken in by a nice family. I joined SOLDIER a few years later, that's where I met Cloud and saw Nathaniel again," Skylar added.

"Pretty much the same thing for me. I travelled around a bit and joined SOLDIER," Nathaniel said.

"I travelled around, and met Skylar and Nathaniel again 3 years ago, that's also when I met Cloud," Midnight concluded.

She'd decided not to mention Zack, on her travels she'd seen his sword stuck in the ground and she'd heard rumors of his death. She knew how close Cloud was to him. The group was silent for a moment.

"Wow, that's quite something," Reno broke the silence.

"So, you kids got full control over these genes?" Cid asked.

"It's easy for Skylar and me. We only have 1 demon to deal with, Midnight has 2 of them," Nathaniel said.

Midnight just nodded slightly.

"What's it like for you?" Yuffie asked her.

"I can keep both of them under control. When I let them out, however, I have to be more careful. Manalani, my Werewolf side, is easy enough to control. She's learned that she can only survive if she cooperates with a human, she's a lot older than Ainra, my Vampire side. When Ainra comes out, she's harder to control. They can also work together, they can become one powerful being, making the struggle for control exceptionally difficult," Midnight explained, her voice still strong and collected.

_Like with me and Chaos. _ Vincent thought.

"So you're half Vampire, half Werewolf?" Reno asked.

Midnight only nodded.

"You know, it's getting late. I think we should all head to bed," Tifa said as she stood up and started cleaning the glasses off the table.

The rest of the group made confirming noises and stood up as well. Reno and Cid put the tables back in place and everybody slowly but surely cleared out, leaving Skylar, Nathaniel, Cloud, Tifa, Midnight and Vincent behind in the bar.

"Well, good night everybody," Skylar said as he made his way upstairs to his room, the rest of them soon followed.

Midnight was lying on her bed, still dressed. During her story, the memories had flooded her mind worse than they ever had. She could still feel the lashes of the whip, the beatings, but most of all, the Boss... His disgusting face had haunted her ever since the first time she'd ever seen him, her hatred for him had started burning ever since the first time he laid a finger on her. No matter what she did, every time she closed her eyes she saw his face, licking and biting places she'd never even wanted him to see, let alone violate. She felt disgusted with herself, a feeling that was responsible for the scars on her arms. But instead of producing more scars, she decided to open up her window. As she was looking out of it, she noticed she could easily climb out and take a seat on the roof of the bar. She grabbed her coat and made her way up, when she was seated she put her coat on and just stared off into the distance, her elbows leaning on her knees, and admired the glow of the full moon in front of her.

As Vincent was sitting in his room, he heard a shuffling on the roof. He opened his window and looked out, only to be greeted with the sight of Midnight staring at the moon. The light reflected in her golden eyes and the silver strands in her hair, making her look as beautiful as the moon itself. Vincent carefully climbed out his own window and took a seat on the roof as well, a short distance away from her.

Midnight saw him out of the corner of her eyes and ignored him for a moment longer before speaking.

"Do you ever have any trouble controlling him?' she asked him in a soft voice, not breaking her stare.

"It's a constant struggle," he replied, following her example of continuing to stare.

"You're not telling them everything are you?" Vincent suddenly asked her, moving his gaze so his crimson eyes were boring into her golden ones.

Midnight returned his gaze before answering.

"I've told them everything they needed to know, the rest is irrelevant.'

Vincent decided to not push her for now. He was now sure that the man he'd read about was her father, his suspicions were confirmed. He was still curious about her but he was sure he'd learn more about her in time.

After a while, Midnight carefully made her way inside again. Vincent was a peculiar man. He intrigued her. She felt as though there were still a million questions swarming around in her mind but she couldn't think of anything she wanted to ask him. Even with the questions, his presence had somehow managed to help her push the memories back a bit, she should be able to sleep now. She took off her clothes and put on a large shirt and crawled under the covers of her bed, ready for another night of nightmares.

Vincent still sat on the roof. Thinking of those shining golden eyes. There was something about this woman.


	8. Color Is Evil!

**Disclaimer: **Much to my regret, I still do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters used in this story, they are all part of Square Enix and I thank the heavens everyday for having SE create them. Also, I'm using these characters to fill my pages without permission from SE, please don't be mad at me!

**Note: **a short note about the lay-out**  
**

"regular speech"

- mental speech -

_- genes speaking -_

_thoughts_

I think that about covers it, should anything be unclear, feel free to let me know :)

Here I am again then, part 8 this time :)

I've asked this before, but I have to ask it again: does anybody know of the reason why Vincent always wears that gauntlet?

**Big thanks! **To dragondeathqueen for the review, I can not emphasize how much I appreciate your dedication ^^ and to Rosalie Ann Jordan for adding my story to your fav and alert list :)

Enjoy! ^^

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 8: Color is evil!**

Midnight woke up to the smell of bacon creeping into her nose. She slowly opened her eyes, sat up and stretched as far as she could. This had been the best night's sleep she'd had in a while. Yes, there had been the usual nightmares, but for some reason they seemed a bit less intense than they usually were. She got out of bed and switched the large shirt for a pair of jeans, a black boy beater and her standard long fingerless gloves. She stepped into the bathroom for a moment to make sure the eyeliner she always wore was still in place and then made her way downstairs. As she was about halfway the stairs, she heard somebody step on them behind her, she looked over her shoulder and was greeted with the sight of Vincent. They just gave each other a short nod and continued their way downstairs. When they entered the kitchen, everybody was already there and Skylar was having an amused discussion with Marlene about why, according to him, pink was an evil color. Denzel and Nathaniel were sitting on either side of the discussing parties and just watched them with amused smiles. Cloud was staring at something on the table and Tifa was getting plates out of the cupboard. The eggs and bacon Tifa had made were put on the table and everything went quiet as they all ate their breakfast. After breakfast, Yuffie came to pick up Marlene and Denzel and Skylar and Nathaniel asked everybody to sit down around the table for a moment.

"Here's the thing, that guy Midnight fought a couple of days ago, he was a Werewolf. I've come to understand that the Wolves have been following Midnight for a while now, but they never attacked her until then," Skylar paused for a moment to let the information soak in.

"For as far as we know, there's about 30 Wolves switching watch on Midnight. What I wanna do now is simple. The Wolves have been the cause of casualties for a while now, and I want to get rid of them. First of all, we have to figure out where the ones watching Midnight have their camp. If we can get to them, we might be able to figure out more about this guy," he continued.

"Is there any way for us to recognize these Wolves?" Tifa asked.

"Their eyes, they're black with a crimson edge," Nathaniel explained.

Cloud, Tifa and Vincent nodded.

"I'll keep an eye out here around the bar. If they're following you, then they should know you're staying here, right Midnight?" Tifa asked.

Midnight nodded.

"I'm fairly sure they know of me staying here, however, be careful, don't let them notice you're keeping an eye on them."

"I'll give Reeve and Reno a call. Reeve can let Cait Sith and Red XIII keep an eye open and Reno can ask Rude, Elena and Tseng to keep an eye out as well," Cloud said.

Midnight gave him a slightly questioning look.

"Don't worry, Reeve, Elena and Tseng are friends, they're very trustworthy. As for Cait Sith, he's a friend of Red XIII and you've already met Red, so I'm sure you realize you can trust him as well, besides, Cait is a cat," Tifa said.

Midnight nodded.

"I'd also give Barrett and Cid a call. They may be from a bit farther, but it's important we know just how far the Wolves are going," Nathaniel said to Cloud.

Cloud nodded.

"I will."

"But remember, the Wolves can't find out that we're looking for them. Make sure everybody keeps a low profile," Midnight said.

"Vincent and I will check out the woods around the Forgotten City, then you can stay here to help Tifa, Cloud and Midnight. That is, if that's okay with you, Vincent?" Nathaniel said.

Vincent just nodded.

"Oh, Cloud, could you call Barrett now? And ask him is Yuffie's around, if Midnight's gonna be staying here, she'll need some more clothes," Tifa said, her excitement growing.

Midnight's eyes became a shade darker. She hated shopping. There were reasons why she didn't have a lot of clothes, the first being that she had to be able to comfortably carry everything she owned, the second being she didn't like shopping, at all! Cloud picked u his phone and called Barrett. Her explained the situation to him and asked him to keep an eye open, Barrett gladly accepted his request and went to find Yuffie as Cloud passed the phone to Tifa.

"Hey Yuffie, are you in town? ... Well, I was wondering if maybe you'd want to go shopping with Midnight and myself," Tifa said, a big smile on her face.

Midnight's expression just grew darker and darker.

"Okay! Perfect! See you at 1," Tifa concluded the conversation.

"Wow, down girl," Skylar said, laughing as he noticed the look Midnight was sending at Tifa.

Vincent glanced at Midnight and had to admit that he couldn't blame her for sending Tifa a murderous look. Yuffie was quite something to deal with, especially a complete afternoon. Tifa sent Midnight a scared look. Midnight's eyes softened back to her usual emotionless expression, the last thing she wanted was for somebody who was willing to help her to be scared of her.

Lunch came around soon, and so did Yuffie. She was her usual bubbly self as she came hopping into the kitchen where Tifa and Midnight were finishing the dishes from lunch. They finished and Midnight swiftly went upstairs to get her pouch of money and her pirate gun. She decided to leave her belt and sword at the bar, taking only her pirate gun with her to have at least some sort of protection. Cloud, Skylar, Nathaniel, Vincent, Tifa and Yuffie were waiting for her downstairs.

"Cloud and I are going to follow you on a distance to check out those Wolves following you and Vincent and Nathaniel are going to head off to the Forgotten City to see if there are any signs leading to their camp," Skylar answered her questioning look.

Midnight nodded and started to follow the overly excited Tifa and Yuffie outside and into Midgar. They quickly entered a local mall and Tifa and Yuffie ran into a store that seemed ridiculously bright, according to Midnight's standards. Tifa and Yuffie eagerly started gushing over pretty much anything they could get their hands on as Midnight trailed behind them, almost terrified by the amount of pinks and pastels there was in the store. Tifa and Yuffie even tried to convince her into trying on a few things they'd chosen for her but she declined, giving them a firm glare when they started to insist. She got a few weird looks from some of the customers in the store, but she just ignored them. Midnight eventually managed to convince them into going into a slightly darker store to look for some clothes for her. She looked around and admired a short leather jacket and a pair of short black shorts. Tifa and Yuffie eventually managed to convince her into trying them on.

"I really don't know guys," Midnight said as she opened the velvet curtain and stepped out of the changing room.

"Wow! You've got like, the hottest legs I've ever seen! They're so smooth!" Yuffie exclaimed.

Midnight looked in the mirror on her left and asked her genes about their opinions, they'd always been her shopping companions, and so far, she'd never been disappointed.

- _She's right, your legs look fantastic in these shorts. – _Ainra said.

_- But it needs something more... It looks hot, yes, but it's not really 'you'. – _Manalani added.

- _Indeed. – _Ainra concluded as Midnight started to look around the store for something that might enhance the looks of the shorts.

Suddenly she saw them. They were perfection. Thigh high boots, standing on a 4 inch heel with a slight platform on the front. Midnight knew she would have to try them on, just to make sure she had complete balance on them, and later she'd have to ask Jason or Nathaniel for some training to make sure they gave her all the motion freedom she needed. But for now, all she was worried about, was getting the boots in her size.

"Those are perfect!" Tifa exclaimed the moment she noticed Midnight's eyes fall on the boots.

Tifa immediately got up, picked up one of the boots, asked Midnight's size and went to ask the shopkeeper if she still had them. All the while they'd been in the store, Yuffie had been sitting on a chair, looking around with a bit of an apprehensive look. She definitely didn't like this store, it was much too dark, but she decided to just stick it out and let her thoughts wander back to the yellow and blue shirts she'd bought in the other store. Tifa soon came back with the boots and Midnight tried them on. They were a perfect fit and completed the shorts.

"Try that jacket on as well, I'm sure it'll look great with those shorts and boots," Tifa eagerly said.

Midnight pulled on the short leather jacket she'd seen earlier, pulling the sipper up until just below her breasts and putting the collar up. She let the corners of her mouth turn upwards slightly, satisfied with the look they'd discovered.

Skylar and Cloud had been following the girls on a distance for a few hours now. The Wolves had yet to notice their presence as they were completely focused on Midnight, Tifa and Yuffie. Skylar still smiled at the memory of Midnight's facial expression when they were in the brightly colored store. She looked as though she was ready to brutally murder every and any piece of clothing in sight. Her mood had drastically changed when she'd found a dark little shop, the girls had been in there for a while now and Skylar and Cloud were still keeping an eye out for the Wolves, so far they hadn't switched watch yet.

Tifa and Midnight strolled around the store a few more times and Tifa ended up convincing Midnight into buying a miniskirt and knee high socks telling her they should get some heels, a button up shirt and a tie later as well..

"Tifa, I'm 26 years old, why the hell would I want to dress up as a high school girl?"

"Because you can totally pull that look off without looking like a high school girl, I'm sure you'll just look hot!"

_- I have to say that I agree with her. – _Ainra said in Midnight's mind.

Midnight ignored her genes and eventually ended up returning to the bar with several more bags than she'd hoped for. She'd found a black button up shirt and a pair of strappy black pumps. She definitely liked the shoes, but she'd kept her foot down and had refused to buy the tie and socks.

Vincent and Nathaniel took their time as they strolled through the forests of the Forgotten city. So far, they hadn't seen, smelled or heard anything from the Wolves. They were walking in complete silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Vincent had always been a quiet one and Nathaniel didn't feel the need to speak. As they were nearing diner time, Nathaniel decided to break the silence.

"What do you say we head back to the bar? Maybe we can help out with dinner or something."

Vincent just nodded and turned around, heading back in the direction of the bar.

"I can run, you know, you don't have to slow down for me," Nathaniel said with an amused expression.

Vincent stopped for a moment to look at Nathaniel and then broke off into a run, Nathaniel closely following behind him. By the time they got back, they were greeted with the scent of spaghetti sauce coming out of the kitchen. They walked in and were greeted with the sight of Skylar, Cloud, Yuffie and Midnight sitting at the table while Tifa was stirring in a pot on the stove. Nathaniel looked at the bags that were standing on the counter.

"Seems like you girls had a fun day," he said, an amused smile on his face

Skylar laughed.

"Sure, Midnight just loves pinks and pastels, don't cha?" he laughed.

Midnight just glared at him

"Wow, if looks could kill. But, did you find anything interesting?" Nathaniel said, looking at Midnight.

Midnight just nodded and Tifa took it upon her to explain everything to Nathaniel, seeing as she knew that Midnight wasn't going to give him any more information.

"She found 2 outfits actually. A pair of shorts, with the most awesome boots and a jacket and a miniskirt with heels," Tifa said, her face gleaming at her achievements concerning Midnight's wardrobe.

Nathaniel nodded, a sarcastic impressed expression on his face.

"I'll need one of you 2 to train later. I have to make sure I can do everything I need to do in my new boots," Midnight said, looking at Skylar and Nathaniel.

They both nodded and Tifa placed dinner down on the table.

"Vincent and I could also help you out if you want to," Cloud suggested, giving Vincent a look that asked him to confirm whether or not he wanted to help.

Vincent just nodded and Midnight gratefully accepted his offer. After dinner, every one made their way into the bar and they were soon joined by Reno and Rude and later by Barrett and the children. Midnight had no idea why, but Marlene seemed to have taken a rather remarkable liking to her. She was sitting next to her and telling her all about everything she and Denzel had done that day, Midnight gave her her fullest attention and listened to everything she had to say. This little girl intrigued Midnight. She had never feared her, not even after seeing her kill the Werewolf.

_The innocence of children... Maybe it's a child's gift to see only the good and to close out the bad._

Midnight's thoughts and Marlene's monologue were interrupted when Barrett decided it was time for them to go. The kids had to get to bed and they still had to get home first.

"Any news on those Wolves?" Cloud asked Barrett before he could get up.

"Haven't seen or heard anything."

Cloud nodded and Barrett left with Yuffie and the children, Yuffie still waving an enthusiastic goodbye from outside the window as they passed it. Midnight let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"Yuffie can be quite the handful eh," Skylar asked her.

She just nodded and took a sip from her bloody Mary.

"Reno, we need your help. We need you, Rude, Elena and Tseng to keep an eye out for anything strange. Midnight's being followed by Werewolves for quite a while now and we're trying to figure out where their camp and/or headquarters are," Skylar said.

"How are we supposed to recognize these things?" Reno replied.

"Their eyes, they've got black eyes with a crimson edge."

Reno nodded.

"Don't worry yo, we'll find 'em,' he said and took another swig from his beer.

The customers in the bar soon left, including Reno and Rude, and Skylar, Nathaniel, Tifa, Cloud, Vincent and Midnight made their way to their respective rooms and got ready for a new day. While Vincent was sitting on his bed, his back against the wall, he heard noises coming from Midnight's room next to his. He carefully got up and pressed his ear against the wall. It was only thanks to his superior hearing that he was able to hear her, he was sure the others didn't hear a thing. He carefully got out of his room and was greeted with the sight of Skylar and Nathaniel standing in front of Midnight's door, Nathaniel's hand on the knob.

"You heard her too?" Skylar asked him.

Vincent just nodded and Nathaniel carefully opened the door and softly made his way inside. Skylar followed him but Vincent decided to stay by the door. He watched as Midnight trashed slightly in her sleep, soft whimpers of desperation leaving her lips. Nathaniel carefully took a seat on the edge of her bed and whispered her name to quietly wake her up. Midnight suddenly shot up out of bed and bumped straight in Nathaniel. She immediately recognized him and wrapped her arms around him as though her life depended on it, her breathe labored. Vincent carefully turned around and went back to his room. Apparently he wasn't the only one kept awake by nightmares...


	9. Skills

**Disclaimer: **Much to my regret, I still do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters used in this story, they are all part of Square Enix and I thank the heavens everyday for having SE create them. Also, I'm using these characters to fill my pages without permission from SE, please don't be mad at me!

**Note: **a short note about the lay-out**  
**

"regular speech"

- mental speech -

_- genes speaking -_

_thoughts_

I think that about covers it, should anything be unclear, feel free to let me know :)

I proudly present: The Howling Vampire Part 9!

**Big thanks! **To dragondeathqueen for the review and for telling me about the reason for the gauntlet :) also big thanks to -Unrequited Desire- and ShadowedWolf13 for adding my story to your favorite list :)

So, I once again have a question for you guys but this one's rather important!

As you know, I've rated this story "Mature" for a reason, but now I'm wondering how you guys feel about well, to put it simple, 'sex scenes'. I'm not there yet, but this part of my story is getting closer and closer and now I'd very much like to know what type of sex scene you readers prefer. Do you prefer lots of graphical details or just a lot of details (same as with graphic but with prettier words :p), or do you prefer it to be left a bit one the surface (make a strong suggestion but not going into details) or just go around it all the way and just give a mild suggestion? I really need your responses on this one because I'm really unsure of how to write that part.

Enjoy! ^^

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 9: Skills**

The next day, Midnight came down the stairs wearing her new outfit. Before her feet touched the ground, she was already greeted by a wolf whistle. Her eyes shot around the room, a glare already in place. When she noticed the whistle had come from Skylar, she raised an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms over her chest, challenging him to make a comment.

"You sure know how to shop," Skylar eventually said, a daring smirk on his lips.

Midnight just sighed and took a seat at the table. Vincent had been watching the whole display in his usual silent way, his breath had gotten stuck in his throat when he first saw Midnight enter the room and now Chaos was not leaving him alone about it.

_- Wow! I mean WOW! Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Of course you are! The blond guy's right! She definitely knows how to shop! Come one Vinnie, admit it! She looks smoking in this outfit! – _

- Yes, she does look rather attractive. –

_- Finally! Now are you going to put yourself into action now and put some moves on her? – _Chaos' voice was overrun with giddiness.

Vincent held in the growl he wanted to let out and just pushed Chaos back to the inner parts of his mind. He hated it when he got like this. Moments later, breakfast was ready and everybody ate in silence. Tifa eventually decided to join Skylar, Nathaniel, Cloud, Vincent and Midnight as well as they went out to help Midnight train. They found a secluded spot in the forest and Skylar decided to spar with Midnight first. He was the most skilled with a staff so he took out his and handed another one to Midnight. They stood in front of each other, no special stance, just waiting for somebody to give them a signal. Tifa stood in the middle of them, her hand up, and looked at both of them. She was slightly surprised by them, while Skylar had a cocky smirk on his face, Midnight was as emotionless as ever. Tifa's hand came down and Skylar immediately put in an attack. He lunged at Midnight and swayed his staff out in front of him. Midnight dodged easily by jumping back and let her body face away from his slightly in an offensive stance. Skylar approached her again, only this time much slower, so he could try out her close battle skills. He sent blows at her in various places at an increasing speed but Midnight continued to block all of them with ease. They continued their sparring for a while, neither of them getting tired. Skylar suddenly decided to break their cycle and pretended that he was going for Midnight's upper body, he switched to her legs at the very last moment using the speed of his genes, Midnight hadn't been expecting his move and only realized it too late, making Skylar knock her legs out from under her. She was surprised for a moment but quickly got up again, ready to continue.

_Left. Right. Below. Left. Above. Left. I got it! I got his pattern! Left, right, below, left, now!_

Midnight in turn knocked Skylar's legs out from under him and immediately took her position on top of him, straddling him underneath her, and placed the tip of her staff at his throat.

"Okay, I get it. You're good!" Skylar said with a laugh.

Midnight got up and offered him a hand to help him out, which Skylar gratefully took and got up. They both knew Skylar could do better, but only if he consulted his genes, and gene combat was Nathaniel's department.

"I'm next," Nathaniel said as he took a step forward, a confident smile on his face.

He took a stand in front of Midnight and slightly raised his hands as the power of his genes started to surge through him. His eyes lit up, his hair became spiked up, his skin got a slightly greenish tone and jolts of electricity shot back and forth between his fingers. Midnight took off her jacket, revealing the satin corset she was wearing underneath, and handed it to Tifa. She got ready to make a jump and glanced at Tifa, signaling to her that she was ready. Tifa's hand shot down and Nathaniel immediately shot a ball of electricity at Midnight. Midnight jumped forward, avoiding the shot, and changed into her Wolf form. Nathaniel continued shooting electricity at her as she constantly tried to lung at him and push him down. When she jumped for him head first, he shot a bolt of electricity at her at the very last moment, hitting her in the stomach and throwing her back. She landed back in her human form and looked at him for a moment, a determined look in her eyes. Midnight then closed her eyes as an invisible wind rustled through her hair, its blue color being replaced by raven black. Her shoulders and facial features became more angular and she became slightly taller as big, bat like wings came out of her back and her nails grew into claws. When she opened her eyes again they were a shining blood red. She was in her Vampire form. Nathaniel smirked, realizing Midnight meant business. She let out a growl and then lunged at Nathaniel so fast he could barely avoid her. They stood in front of each other for a moment, one trying to stare the other down, when Nathaniel suddenly lunged at her, his fist loaded with electricity. Midnight blocked his punch moments before it hit but still felt some of the electricity shoot through her arm, numbing it for a brief period of time. She sent a punch at him with her other arm and let her body follow, almost wrestling him to the ground. When she was on top of him, Nathaniel put his hands on her shoulders and sent a strong boost of electricity through them, sending Midnight flying back. They continued their sparring, each of them blocking and landing blows in turn until eventually Midnight somehow managed to pin his wrists down with her legs and her claw like fingers at his throat.

"You really are good. Were you honestly worried about your balance in those boots?" Nathaniel said as his genes retreated and he stood up, taking the hand Midnight was offering him.

Midnight just shrugged and pushed Ainra back, however hesitant she was to actually go back. Vincent had been watching the entire spectacle with the utmost interest.

_Amazing how skilled she is... The control she has on her genes is almost unreal..._

After their little match, Nathaniel and Midnight took a small break and sat down with the others while they enjoyed the sandwiches Tifa had brought for lunch. When they were finished, Tifa tested Midnight's hand to hand combat skills, whereas Cloud tested her Sword fighting skills and Vincent tested her skills with a gun. Midnight was amazed by the grace and speed he showed while firing off bullets at the most random times and from the most random places. They were both careful not to hit the other, but Vincent still ended up with a few new bullet holes in his cloak and Midnight was thankful for the fact that Tifa had managed to convince her into buying 2 pairs of the same shorts as the ones she was wearing were about to fall off her body. By the time they were finished, it was nearing in on evening and they all went back to have dinner and so Tifa could get the bar ready to open again.

Weeks passed, Midnight stayed at 7th Heaven, occasionally spending a part of her nights hunting or on the roof in the company of Vincent. They never really spoke, they didn't know anything about each other and Vincent never even asked her about her nightmares, even though he was curious. Their genes, however, were on a roll. This was once again one of those nights, Midnight and Vincent were sitting on the roof of 7th Heaven, staring at the moon and stars in complete silence, simply enjoying each other's company, while their genes were chatting away.

_- God I was this guy was a bit more assertive! – _Chaos let out, frustration evident in his tone of voice.

_- Tell me about it. How many times have the 2 of them been sitting here over the last few weeks? Damn this is boring. Nothing's changed! They still don't know more about the Wolves and they don't know a damn thing about each other. What's it gonna take? It's been forever since I've been able to be with a human that experienced human affections! I need for Midnight to get laid damn it! – _Ainra burst out.

_- Please, both of you. They've both been through a lot, just let them enjoy each other's company. There's much more to life than physical attraction. We all know their nightmares are less bad when they've spent some time together up here. – _Manalani intervened.

_- In that case, imagine what it'd be like if they just slept together! – _Ainra said.

_- BAM! Nightmares gone! – _Chaos added.

_- Just give them time! They must figure out the connection between the other's presence and the intensity of their nightmares sooner or later. – _Manalani protested again.

_- Better be sooner! – _Ainra and Chaos chimed at the same time.

The genes had had the same conversation several times already, Ainra and Chaos annoyed at the lack of 'action' while Manalani had a more romantic point of view.

- Ainra, Manalani! What the hell are you doing this time? – Midnight mentally asked her genes.

_- Just a small conversation with Chaos. – _Ainra said, an innocent tone to her voice.

- You've been having 'conversations' with Chaos every time Vincent and I have been here. –

_- Well, Chaos and I agree that you and Vincent should just get over yourselves and have sex. –_

_- Please excuse them, Midnight, I've been trying to get it through to them that that's not the way things work, but they won't listen. – _Manalani immediately chimed in after Ainra's statement.

Midnight accidently let a low growl escape her lips, earning her a curious look from Vincent. She looked at him and let out a soft sigh, deciding their genes had been communicating for more than long enough without him knowing about it.

"You have the Chaos gene, right?" she asked him in a soft, monotone voice.

Vincent just nodded.

"Well, my genes have been communicating with Chaos for a while now," she continued, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"I know. Chaos told me."

For a moment they just looked at each other, both a bit shy to mention what their genes had been discussing. Midnight eventually decided to let it go and bid Vincent goodnight as she went to her room.

Vincent could feel Chaos grinning in his mind. He'd never wanted to kick someone's ass as badly as he wanted to kick Chaos' at that moment.

_- Awww, come on Vinnie. There's no denying it, you like the girl. Admit, she's hot, gorgeous, attractive and quiet, just the way you like it. –_

- Chaos...-

_- Seriously, do you have any idea how long it's been? I'd be surprised if you still knew how things work! –_

Vincent let out a low growl. Chaos had been acting like this for the past weeks. Constantly pestering him about taking Midnight to bed with him. Yes it had been a while, over 30 years to be exact, but he was still mourning over his lost love... Lucrecia... Vincent let out a deep sigh as her name and face entered his mind again. He hadn't visited her anymore. He'd been too absorbed in figuring out where the Wolves were hiding, in helping Midnight. Perhaps he did have an interest in Midnight, but he was sure it was only friendly. He liked her silent companionship and the fact that even though she hardly spoke, almost all of her statements hit the nail on the head. Her rejections towards Reno were the most amusing to him. The corners of his mouth turned upwards ever so slightly.

_- See, you're smiling while thinking of her.-_

Vincent simply ignored Chaos and returned to his room next to Midnight's. He focused his hearing on her for a moment, to see if she was sleeping peacefully, and decided to get some sleep when he only heard silence coming from her room.


	10. Disgust

**Disclaimer: **Much to my regret, I still do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters used in this story, they are all part of Square Enix and I thank the heavens everyday for having SE create them. Also, I'm using these characters to fill my pages without permission from SE, please don't be mad at me!

**Note: **a short note about the lay-out**  
**

"regular speech"

- mental speech -

_- genes speaking -_

_thoughts_

I think that about covers it, should anything be unclear, feel free to let me know :)

**Big thanks!**

To -Unrequited Desires- for all the reviews :D don't worry, I'm a prety big pervert myself XD  
Next, a big thanks to dragondeathqueen, you've been with me in this story from the first chapter, I really appreciate it :)  
And last but definitely not least, a big thanks to The Common Wind Deity for pointing out a few things I hadn't noticed :)

Yey, I'm posting double digits ^^ I'm actually kind of proud of myself that I'm writing a complete story :) I've started writing stories before, but I couldn't get myself to finish any of them... This will be my first complete story :)

Enjoy! ^^

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 10: Disgust**

The next morning went as usual. Everybody sat down at the kitchen table, had breakfast, made plans for the following day and they took turns in cleaning the dishes. Vincent and Nathaniel left for the Forest, as usual, and Cloud went to take care of some delivery business, leaving Skylar, Tifa and Midnight at 7th Heaven. During the last few days, there had been less Werewolves around to watch Midnight. Where there used to be 6, there were now only 4 of them keeping tabs on her movements, 5, including the wolf she'd fought weeks earlier.

"Only 4 again. You think Vincent and Nathaniel are getting closer to them?" Skylar said as he entered Midnight's room.

"Sounds like a very plausible reason."

"The rest of the gang is coming over tonight. Tifa mentioned something about a celebration of taking down Shinra or something. I think they'll be setting up some plans tonight."

Midnight only nodded. A celebration didn't immediately sound like fun to her. Especially not if Yuffie and Tifa went on a roll again.

_If they make me dress up or end up decorating everything in bright colors I'll kill them._

"Skylar? Do you... do you ever dream about it?"

Skylar gave her a questioning look for a moment but it soon dawned on him that she was talking about their time in the institution.

"Sometimes. I wonder, do you really think they just gave up looking for us? I mean, they were almost certain we had genes and I'm pretty sure that us running away only confirmed their suspicions. It's just strange that we never heard anything from them anymore. We don't even know if the institution still exists."

"Do you think we should check it out?"

"It'll take a long time for us to get there on foot. We'd need some sort of airship or something... Hey! Maybe Cid can help us out? He should be around tonight and maybe he's been around the area. He might've seen something."

Midnight simply nodded and turned back to staring out the window. Over the weeks, she'd gotten very good at pinpointing the Wolves' locations, she'd even gotten as far as recognizing which of them were there based on the vibes they sent out.

Evening came soon and the whole group of AVALANCHE was present. Tifa had somehow managed to get Midnight to wear the miniskirt, button up shirt and heels. As she came down the stairs, she was immediately greeted by 2 pairs of arms wrapping themselves around her legs. She looked down and awkwardly patted the 2 children on the head, Denzel and Marlene were both happy to see her. Midnight continued her way to the large table, receiving a wolf whistle from Reno when he spotted her.

"Damn woman, you tryin' to kill us?" he said.

Midnight said nothing and just glared at him, making the look in his eyes soon turn from slight lust to fear. Vincent looked up at Midnight and had to admit he agreed with Reno. She had very attractive legs and she looked very sexy in that outfit.

_- There has to be something wrong with you dude, how can you not be jumping this woman's bones right now? – _Chaos screamed in frustration.

Vincent tried his hardest to push him back and ignored his statement. Yuffie was already annoyed with Midnight. She'd been visiting several times over the weeks and had always tried to befriend Midnight, but it seemed simply impossible. Yuffie hated how she was always silent and never spoke, even when somebody asked her a question she'd do her best to avoid actually saying something. But she kept her cool, somehow she even managed to keep her cool until everybody had taken a seat at the table and started talking about the upcoming festivities, erasing Midnight from Yuffie's mind. They first held a common brain storm about the party, everybody just throwing ideas back and forth until Reno came with an actual good idea.

"Yo, how about we ask Reeve to do the party at his place? He's got a huge house, there's lots of room," he said.

Slowly but surely the rest of the group started to nod their heads, with the exception of Vincent and Midnight of course, whom were trying to steer clear of the entire thing.

- Who's this Reeve guy?- she mentally asked Skylar.

- Don't worry about it, he's a friend. He leads the World Regenesis Organization, better known as WRO, an organization hoping to rebuild the Planet. –

Midnight nodded unnoticeable. She zoned out again, only faintly noticing Cloud make a phone call to Reeve and Tifa picking up a notebook. Tifa scribbled down notes as they discussed more ideas and made some decisions. Midnight was suddenly pulled out of her haze.

"Hey! Midnight! Why aren't you helping us?" Yuffie yelled across the table.

Midnight just looked at her. Why wasn't she helping them? Because everybody seemed to do just fine without her and she wasn't very interested in the party.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! I'm so sick of you! What? Are we not good enough for you? Is that it? Just open your mouth and help us organize this party! I've had it with you not talking you-"

Yuffie's rant was suddenly cut off by Skylar who'd slammed his hands on the table and had stood up, making his chair tumble down behind him.

"Listen, Yuffie, Midnight has her reasons for her silence and it would be good for you to just mind your own business for once! You don't know anything about her or what she's been through. I like you as a friend, but I'd appreciate it if you could just show some more respect!" Skylar said in a strict tone as he sent Yuffie a burning look, throwing out all the frustration he had about her attitude.

But Yuffie wasn't done yet. Oh no, she still hadn't learned.

"No reason can be good enough for the way she acts! She's completely anti-social! She's gonna be at the party but she's not helping out with anything! And if you've had such a tough little life, why don't you tell me something about it! Huh?" she asked as she shifted her gaze to Midnight.

The look in Midnight's eyes meant murder. She slowly and carefully got up out of her seat and walked across the table to Yuffie, carefully stepping between the glasses and keeping her glare fixed on Yuffie. By the time she got to her, Yuffie had moved her chair back and Midnight stood in front of her.

"Have you ever been so disgusted with yourself that you just want to peel the skin right off you?" she hissed in a deadly voice, her face only inches away from Yuffie's, eyes burning into Yuffie's.

Yuffie softly shook her head in a scared manner.

"Well, I have little missy. And you know what? I still am," Midnight continued as she slowly pulled up the sleeve of her button up shirt, showing her scars from years of 'peeling off her skin'.

A look of horror appeared on Yuffie's face and Midnight heard a few gasps behind her. She simply ignored them and continued speaking to Yuffie.

"And when you go to bed tonight, I want you to imagine what it would be like to see the same disgusting face again every time you close your eyes. To imagine the sight and feeling of the man you hate most biting and licking places you'd never allow him to even look at as he satisfies his sickest desires on you. I want you to imagine what it would be like to hear an earsplitting scream, only to realize that it's your own and that the more sound you make, the worse it gets. You do that, and then tomorrow, I want you to come back to me, look me in the eye and tell me truthfully that you wouldn't learn to keep silent after years of that," Midnight finished in her deadly tone, her hands leaning on the arms of Yuffie's chair and her eyes still boring into the young girl's ones.

Midnight let go of Yuffie's chair and slowly made her way back to her spot, this time walking around the table. She didn't look at anybody as she sat down again and shifted her gaze to Tifa, her glare replaced by her usual emotionless look.

"So, what do we have for the party so far?" she asked as though nothing had happened, her voice once again emotionless.

"Uhm, we have a location and now we were just discussing whether we should to a theme party or just make it something a little formal," she replied after she'd regained her composure.

Midnight nodded and said: "any ideas?"

She looked around the group and in a matter of moments the group was chatting about the party again, planning away. Midnight couldn't help but notice somebody's eyes on her. She looked at Vincent and noticed his unwavering stare. His eyes were almost trying to tell her something but he kept it well hidden so she couldn't figure out what.

_Oh well, guess we'll have something to talk about on the roof later._

An hour or 2 passed and they'd finally made the final decisions for the Shinra Downfall anniversary. Midnight listened intently as Tifa went over her notes one last time.

"So, the party is going to be held at Reeve's place. Decorations are going to be a bit simple, just a few pieces of fabric draped around the room to give it a bit more of a formal feel and some candles, maybe some flowers. There's gonna be dinner first, which we'll have to discuss with Reeve, then there'll be some dancing of course and some snacks left out." – Reno smiled brightly at the mention of snacks – "And last but not least the dress code will be formal. So all the guys will be wearing a tuxedo" - a groan came from all the men in the group – "and the women will be wearing a dress and heels," Tifa finished in a cheery voice.

Yuffie squealed after hearing the dress code, Midnight gave Tifa a disbelieving look.

"Don't worry about a dress, Midnight, Yuffie and I will take you shopping for one," Tifa said, a smile on her face.

A few hours later, everybody left and went to bed while Midnight went hunting and later took her place on the roof, Vincent joined her moments later. They sat next to each other in comfortable silence for a few moments.

"They violated you," Vincent broke the silence.

Midnight only nodded.

"They started with beatings, but the Boss changed his tactics when he realized they weren't getting anything out of me that way."

"How did you get there?" Vincent asked in a soft voice.

"From what I remember, my dad once volunteered for experiments or something but he never came home. About 2 months later, some men invaded our house, killed my mother and took me away. I don't know what happened to my father, I'm assuming he's dead."

Vincent looked at her as her face showed the pain that came back with her memories.

_She shouldn't be hurting like this. She never did anything to deserve the things she's been through._

Vincent suddenly did something Midnight had never expected him to do. He stretched out his arm behind her and pulled her into him, giving her a sort of sideways hug. Midnight was as surprised as can be but still welcomed the sign of affection, enjoying the masculine scent and warmth that came from him. She had no idea why she was even accepting the contact, but she didn't complain. They sat like that for at least half an hour, Vincent not knowing what had compelled him into wishing to comfort her so badly and putting his arm around her as a result, and Midnight not knowing why she accepted his comfort. She'd always been somebody to take care of herself, she shied away from human contact, seeing as most of the contact she could remember was violent... Slowly but surely, Midnight felt her eyes get heavy. It became harder and harder for her to keep her eyes open and eventually she drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Vincent heard Midnight's breathing become even and carefully glanced down at her closed eyes, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his lips upon seeing her peaceful expression.

_I wish I knew why I'm doing this... I don't want her to be in pain. But I have to be careful, I can't care for her... I can't take the risk of having her end up like... Lucrecia..._

Much to his surprise, Chaos stayed silent in his mind. He was grateful for it, though, as he lifted Midnight's sleeping body as gently as he could and carried her into her room. He pulled the covers back and carefully placed her on her bed. He took off her shoes and softly tucked her in, still lost in his thoughts. He softly made his way to the door, taking one last glance at her as he left her room and closed the door to seek refuge in his own bed.


	11. Romulus

**Disclaimer: **Much to my regret, I still do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters used in this story, they are all part of Square Enix and I thank the heavens everyday for having SE create them. Also, I'm using these characters to fill my pages without permission from SE, please don't be mad at me!

**Note: **a short note about the lay-out**  
**

"regular speech"

- mental speech -

_- genes speaking -_

_thoughts_

I think that about covers it, should anything be unclear, feel free to let me know :)

**Big thanks!**

To dragondeathqueen for your review, once again, thank you for your dedication :)  
And to Sumi x3 for adding my story to your alert list :)

omg omg omg omg omg here's part 11! ^^

Enjoy! ^^

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 11: Romulus**

The sun was starting to come up by the time the Wolf had once again reached the 2 men he worked for, the scientist and the father. He never got their names, he only knew what they looked like.

"What are you doing here again?" the father scolded the Wolf as he saw him enter the entrance hall to their little organization.

"I have news."

"I don't care what it is, I ordered you to bring her to me! You know the consequences if you fail!"

The Wolf cringed slightly at the thought of his family being tortured once again.

"I have news that will interest the scientist," the Wolf said with a smug look on his face.

The scientist, a dark haired man, stepped out of the shadows, his eyes curious behind his glasses and his gaze trained on the Wolf in a silent signal for him to continue.

"Do you remember your little experiment? Chaos?"

A look of recognition crossed over the scientist's face and the Wolf continued.

"Your experiment and your daughter seem to have found each other. During the past few weeks, they've been spending parts of their nights sitting on the roof together, she even fell asleep with him and he brought her to her room tonight," he finished, the smug look on his face still in place.

The father and the scientist exchanged a look, the father turned back to the Wolf and told him to leave. The Wolf nodded and left the room. As he hurried back to 7th Heaven in Midgar, he couldn't erase the image of his family from his mind. His wife and his son, both captured by these 2 ridiculous individuals.

Meanwhile, the scientist and the father were molding over the latest developments.

"So, Hojo, what do you think we should do about this?" the father asked, addressing the scientist.

"I don't know, Alexander. I think we should just ignore it, it's not important. All I'm interested in, is getting your daughter on that table and luring out her genes," Hojo responded, a sadistic look gracing his features.

Midnight woke up, a vague memory of a certain scent and an arm around her shoulders in her mind. She slowly but surely opened her eyes and realized she was in her room, still in her outfit from the day before and her shoes were standing next to her bed.

_Last thing I remember I was on the roof, with Vincent..._

_- You fell asleep on his shoulder and he brought you here. – _Manalani informed her.

Midnight suddenly looked up when someone knocked on her door. She quickly got out of bed and opened it to reveal Skylar with a knowing look on his face. she stepped back and let him in, closing the door behind him.

"I want to talk to you about something," he said.

Midnight gave him a 'duh' look as he took a seat on a chair and she sat down on her bed.

"You've been spending quite a bit of time with Vincent lately."

Midnight remained silent, a curious expression now on her face.

"Have you told him about your past yet?"

Midnight nodded.

"I told him about my parents and the Boss last night. It was strange though... He comforted me..."

Skylar let a smile grace his features at the slightly confused expression on Midnight's face.

"I think you 2 are starting to care about each other."

Midnight raised her eyebrow in a skeptic look at his statement.

"Don't give me that look."

"I'm sure our 'care' is merely friendly. Are you here for anything important or did you only come to act like a teenage girl?"

Skylar gave her a skeptic look and told her that breakfast would be ready in 30 minutes. Midnight nodded and Skylar left as she headed into her bathroom to take a shower. She came out again, wearing a pair of black jeans, a black boy beater and her black gloves, hair pulled back in its usual bun and her trademark black eyeliner in place. She carefully walked down the stairs and was greeted with the sight of everybody already sitting at the table, everybody ate breakfast and went about their day as usual. In the afternoon, Cloud asked Midnight to help him out with a delivery, she complied and accompanied him. They ate dinner on the road and it was already getting dark by the time they were back. Midnight was on her guard, the Wolves had stopped following her ever since they'd come back into Midgar. Cloud opened the door to the bar and walked in but Midnight stopped as she heard a low growl behind her. She turned around and was once again greeted by the Werewolf she'd fought weeks earlier.

"This time, you're coming with me!" he growled.

"I don't think so," she replied, a smug smirk making its way to her features.

Cloud told Skylar and Nathaniel about the Wolf and they quickly made their way outside, Vincent following. Midnight and the wolf were staring each other down when he suddenly lunged at her, changing into his Wolf form in mid-air. Midnight waited for him to come within arm's reach and rolled onto her back and kicked him over her head, standing up straight again before he touched the ground. The Wolf skidded to a halt in front of the guys, they wanted to help her out but she gave them a look that told them not to. The Wolf growled, his teeth glistening in the dim light of the moon and few streetlights. He jumped forward again, only this time changing back into his human form and pulling out his sword to slash at Midnight. She used the barrel of her gun to block his attack and quickly used her other hand to pull a dagger out of her belt and stabbed him in his shoulder. He yelped and jumped back from her, pulling the dagger out of his shoulder. Midnight spotted a look of distress in his eyes as he tried to lunge at her again. The pain in his shoulder slowed him down a bit and Midnight continued to block and dodge his attacks. The Wolf was getting desperate, he had to get her. He shouldn't have sent the rest of the Wolves away, he would have had back up now. He felt a shot of adrenaline shoot through his body and he lunged at Midnight, knowing she'd dodge him, and then quickly turned around again and sent his sword at her back. A gunshot rang through the air and the wolf crumbled to the ground before he managed to strike. Midnight's eyes shot open in surprise as she looked at Vincent, he was standing there, face as emotionless as ever, with his arm still stretched and his gun aimed at the Wolf's leg. Midnight turned around and looked at the Wolf. The bullet had hit him in the shin, making standing up nearly impossible.

"You bitch!" he screamed out in fury.

"Why have you been following me?" she asked as she knelt down in front of him.

The Wolf said nothing, but the look of fury in his eyes slowly changed into one of despair as he hung his head. Midnight realized there was more to this man, he wasn't just hunting her for fun. She carefully placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll take care of you wounds if you tell me why you've been following me."

By now, the rest had taking their places around the pair and watched the scene unfold. After a few moments of silence, the Wolf raised his head and locked his black and crimson eyes with Midnight's gold ones.

"They have my family," he eventually said.

A look of bewilderment appeared on their faces, except for Midnight and Vincent who were, of course, as emotionless as always.

"Let's take him inside," Tifa said.

Skylar and Nathaniel helped him up as they took him into the bar, the customers gave them bewildered looks but they simply ignored them and carried the Wolf into the kitchen. They sat him down on a chair and Midnight placed his leg on a second chair. She lengthened her nails so she could use them as tweezers and carefully pulled the bullet out of his leg. She let the wounds the way they were, knowing they would heal by themselves. By then, Tifa had brought the Wolf a drink and had returned to the bar. Cloud, Skylar, Nathaniel and Vincent took a seat around the table with Midnight and the Wolf.

"Who are you?" Skylar asked.

The Wolf looked at him for a moment before answering.

"My name is Romolus Mingan. I'm the leader of my pack."

"Is your pack the one that's been hunting me?" Midnight asked.

Romulus nodded.

"Why?"

"They have my family... They've been torturing them for a while now and they'll kill them if I don't give them you," he said, looking Midnight in the eye.

"Who's they?" Nathaniel asked.

"I don't know their names. I only know what they look like... One of them is a scientist and the other just looks like some rich guy."

At the mention of the word scientist, Vincent switched his gaze from the table to the Wolf.

"Anything that might help us recognize them?" Cloud asked.

"Why should I tell you? I've already told you too much!"

"Because we'll help you get your family back," Midnight said in a strict voice.

The Wolf gave her a disbelieving look.

"You have my word."

"Why should your word mean anything to me?"

"Because if she wanted to, she could've killed you and sent you all the way to the center of the Planet and back by now," Skylar said in a cold voice.

Romulus looked at Midnight a moment longer, estimating her abilities and whether or not she could be trusted. She gave him a determined stare and he gave in.

"One of them is a scientist. From what I've seen, he's got this slightly longer black hair that's always greasy and combed back in a pony tail and he wears glasses."

Romulus paused for a moment and an alarm was going off in Vincent's mind. Even though he already knew that Hojo was after her, he still didn't like to hear somebody say it.

_Why do I care so much anyway?_

_- Because you're starting to like her – _Chaos said in a singsong voice.

Vincent ignored him and again focused on the conversation at hand.

"What does the second guy look like?"

"He seems to be somewhere around his 40's, guess he'd be considered handsome. There's nothing too special about him. He's the usual rich guy, wears a suit most of the time and has clean cut brown hair."

They were silent for a moment.

"There's something you might want to know about the second guy though."

Midnight looked at Romulus.

"He's your father."

Midnight felt a wave of pure and utter shock go through her, but didn't show a single thing. She kept her face emotionless.

"We'll help you get your family back. For now, don't go back there and keep your pack in check. If I notice any more casualties in Midgar I'll know where to find you."

Romulus nodded and carefully got up, his wounds were already starting to heal, he could walk but he would have to be careful. After he'd left the bar, Midnight let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and put her head in her hands.

"I thought he was dead..."

Nobody said anything as Midnight got up from the table and went upstairs to her room. She sat down on her bed and thought of her father. She suddenly heard a knock on her door, she opened it to reveal Vincent. She stepped aside to let him in and he took a awkwardly stood in her room. She gestured for him to take a seat as she sat down on her bed.

"I know what happened to your father," Vincent said.

Midnight gave him a bewildered look.

"If I'm not mistaking, then I know the scientist. His name is Hojo."

Midnight's mind was running on high speed as she tried to think of where she'd heard that name before when suddenly it dawned on her.

"His experiments on you resulted in you having the Chaos gene."

Vincent nodded.

"So that's who my father was working for... But I though he died."

Vincent was silent.

"Do you have any proof that my father is still alive?"

"I can't assure you that he's alive now, but I do have evidence of the fact that he survived Hojo's experiments by giving him... you."

"Can I see it?"

"It's in Shinra mansion in Nibelheim. I'll take you there tomorrow if you wish."

Midnight nodded and Vincent carefully got up to leave.

"Vincent?"

Midnight called out to him when his hand touched the door knob. He turned around and gave her a questioning look.

"Thank you."

Vincent nodded and left her room, leaving Midnight to her thoughts.

_How can he... He's my father... What kind of a father would give up his own daughter..._

_- The kind that values his own life more than anything. – _Ainra said.

_- Midnight, you don't know what happened to him. Traumas can do the strangest things to people... – _Manalani tried to console her.

Midnight let out a sigh and decided to get some sleep. She changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top and crawled under the covers, falling into a nightmare filled sleep.


	12. Nibelheim

**Disclaimer: **No, Final Fantasy does not belong to me, I'm using the products of SE's imagination to get my own out there. I may not own much, but I do still own Skylar, Nathaniel and Midnight! They're mine! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA *cough* sorry about that, but you get the point.

**Note: **I'm not going all out on the layout again, I'm pretty sure you all know what everything looks like by now :)

**Big thanks!**

To dragondeathqueen, I still really appreciate your reviews and your dedication to my story :)

And a big thanks to Shrigo for adding my story to your favorites and alert list and for adding me to your author alert and favorite authors lis :) don't worry, there's no way I'm abondoning this story, so far, I'm pretty rpoud of it so I'm definitely going to finish it ^^ (unfortunately) I'm also still a university student majoring in psychology, so I can only update once a week, school really doesn't give me more time to write :/

Enjoy! ^^

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 12: Nibelheim**

Vincent woke up early the next morning and went to Midnight's room to wake her. He knocked a few times and suddenly heard a door behind him open. He was greeted by the sight of Skylar in his boxers and a shirt, hair ruffled and a tired expression on his face.

"Why are you trying to wake her up at this hour?" he groggily questioned Vincent.

"I have records of the experiments that scientist did on her father... I'm taking her to Nibelheim to show them to her."

Skylar looked at him strangely for a moment but then things in his mind clicked, he nodded and returned to his room. Vincent knocked again but still didn't get a response so he softly opened her door and saw her lying in bed, the moonlight making the silver strands in her hair stand out, as she groaned softly in her sleep, a frown evident on her face. Vincent carefully knelt down next to her bed and placed a soft hand on her shoulder. He gave her a soft shake and her eyes shot open, she pulled a dagger from underneath her pillow and put it to his throat as she jumped on him, straddling his waist. They were both silent as they looked into each other's eyes and Midnight registered whom she was threatening, their faces only an inch apart. Eventually Midnight pulled the dagger back and carefully stood up.

"If we leave for Nibelheim now, we can get there before dark. I've told Skylar where we're going," Vincent said in his usual monotone voice.

Midnight nodded and picked up her leather outfit and went to take a quick shower. When she came out again, she put on all of her armory, her coat and cloak and quietly made her way down stairs to make sure she didn't wake anybody. Vincent was waiting for her in the kitchen and handed her some toast. They quietly ate their breakfast and then left 7th Heaven to go to Nibelheim.

A few hours later, Skylar woke up and made his way to the kitchen where Tifa, Cloud and Nathaniel were sitting at the table, waiting. Skylar sat down and went to pick up a piece of toast, only to be tapped on the fingers by Tifa.

"We're waiting for Midnight and Vincent," Cloud explained, a slightly amused expression on his face.

"They're gone. Vincent said something about experiments that were done on her father. Something about records and Nibelheim."

They nodded, Cloud had informed Tifa of their conversation with Romulus the night before, and started eating their breakfast. They went about their day as normal, Skylar helped Tifa around the bar and Nathaniel decided to help Cloud on his deliveries.

Midnight and Vincent reached the Shinra mansion very late in the afternoon. The windows were covered in dust so the mansion was dark. Vincent let Midnight wait in the hall for a moment while he switched on the power switch, immediately making the mansion light up. Midnight squinted her eyes in the suddenly bright light. She stepped into what looked like a living room and started taking off her cloak, coat and armory, only leaving her gun on her thigh.

"I'm going out to hunt for a bit. I'll be back by dinner," Midnight said when Vincent emerged again.

Vincent nodded and watched as she left the mansion.

_- Very clever Vinnie, having her here, just the 2 of you... - _ Chaos said in a smug voice.

Vincent ignored him and decided to see if there was any food around. He'd have to fix some dinner for the 2 of them later. When he didn't find anything, he went out and soon came back with food.

A few hours after she'd left, midnight came back to Shinra mansion and looked around for Vincent. She followed the noise he was making, the scent of food filling her nose after a few steps. Her senses were always a bit hyper just after she'd fed and she enjoyed the sensations as she came closer to him. She stopped at the entrance of the kitchen and found him putting spaghetti on 2 plates, his cloak hanging from a chair, gauntlet on the table and his sleeves pulled back a bit. When he turned around to face her, Midnight almost felt her breath get caught in her throat, this was the first time she'd ever fully seen his face.

_Wow... I knew he was handsome but this..._

"Just in time," he said as he placed the 2 plates on the table.

Midnight tugged the corners of her mouth up slightly and took a seat opposite him. The 2 of them were eating in silence when suddenly the power went off.

"That happens sometimes... It should go back on in a bit," Vincent said.

Midnight's eyes were still hypersensitive so the darkness didn't bother her.

"Are there any candles around here?" she asked as she noticed that Vincent was slightly uncomfortable about the situation.

"Yes, they should be in one of the drawers."

Midnight got up and started looking through the drawers. She soon found a few candles and a box of matches, she placed them on the table and lit them, letting the table bask in the soft glow of the candle light. Midnight sat back down and the both of them looked at each other for a moment, both enticed by the way the light of the candles made the other's eyes shine with an almost magical gleam, both ignoring the obnoxious comments their genes were giving. They soon snapped out of it and resumed their dinner. Midnight stood up and decided to clean off the dishes, taking one candle with her to the sink, while Vincent stayed at the table, lost in thought.

"I'm going to get some sleep now, if you don't mind. We'll start looking at the records tomorrow," Midnight said.

"I'll show you to your room."

Vincent got up and waited as Midnight went into the living room and picked up her things, following him as he lead her up the stairs. He opened a door for her and let her step inside first. The room was pretty much huge. A four poster mahogany bed stood a few steps higher than the rest of the floor against the wall to Midnight's right, the curtains around it made of a deep black velvet. Opposite the bed, to Midnight's left, stood a mahogany dresser with a large mirror, the last wall, the one opposite Midnight, was covered in a large window with heavy curtains that led onto a small balcony and a mahogany dresser. There were 2 doors besides the one that went to the hall, Vincent showed her that one led to a walk in closet while the other led to a bathroom that contained both a spacious bath tub and a shower.

"Where will you be sleeping?" she asked after she'd taken a look around the room.

Vincent seemed slightly surprised by her question for a moment.

"I'll be downstairs. This is the only room I've cleaned up so far."

"I really don't wish to impose, maybe I should just –"

"You're not imposing, I don't sleep much as it is."

They looked at each other in silence for a moment, Vincent being the first to look away at the ground.

"Well then, good night," Vincent said as he turned for the door and left Midnight to get ready for bed.

"Good night."

Midnight changed and crawled in between the silk sheets, her mind once again overtaken with nightmares.

Vincent left the mansion and looked for a place deep in the woods around the mansion, a place with a large amount of fiends. Chaos needed to get out, soon. He'd been driving Vincent crazy with his comments and maybe a bit of a killing spree would tire him a bit.

_Chaos, you better behave after this._

A searing pain shot through his chest as his heart rate went through the roof. A set of bat like wings shot from his back and his facial structure changed. Chaos let out a roar as he stretched out his wings, enjoying his freedom. A fiend suddenly jumped from the bushes, but he easily sliced through it with his claw. He enjoyed his killing spree of random fiends for a while when suddenly he felt Manalani reach out to him.

_- Chaos! Get Vincent here! – _she screamed in his mind.

How she'd managed to contact him when he was this far away was a mystery to him but he figured something was wrong with Midnight, therefore also with Ainra and Manalani, and he quickly finished off the last fiend. He flew back to the mansion as fast as he could and let Vincent take over again in front of the door. Vincent caught his breath as he pushed Chaos back to the back of his mind. When he opened the door, he heard the faint sounds of Midnight trashing and almost screaming in her sleep. Her rushed up the stairs and into her room. She looked scared out of her wits and he carefully sat down on the edge of her bed and tried to get her to wake up by softly placing a hand on her shoulder. She started shaking violently and suddenly shot up, shoving herself into his shoulder at full force. She was startled for a moment but soon registered who it was as he wrapped his arms around her and tried to comfort her. She suddenly started sobbing uncontrollably as she clutched her hands into his cloak. He embraced her a bit tighter and softly moved his hands up and down her back, trying to sooth her.

"Get him off, please, get him off," she continuously murmured through her sobs.

"Shhhh, it's okay, no one can hurt you now," he softly whispered in her ear.

It wasn't until she finally started to calm down that her scent registered in Vincent's mind. He felt lost. Her jasmine scent momentarily numbed all his other senses and he unconsciously buried his nose in her hair while Midnight buried her face deeper into his chest. She's topped sobbing and was now simply enjoying the proximity. She still didn't understand what it was about him that made her like and almost need physical contact, ever since the Boss she'd always hated it. But with Vincent... Vincent carefully pushed back from her a little, looking her in the eye. He noticed her tears and carefully lifted a hand to her face to softly wipe them away. She sniffled once and then apologized for her behavior. Vincent gave her a questioning look.

"I'm sorry, I usually don't get like this," she softly explained.

"It's all right", he replied in an equally soft voice.

They looked at each other for a moment longer and Vincent carefully started to get up but Midnight stopped him by taking a hold of his hand.

"Stay, please," she whispered while looking at the sheets.

Vincent looked at her for a moment before deciding to stay. He didn't know why, and he was fairly sure he'd regret it later on, but he decided to stay with her. He nodded and carefully took off his cloak and placed it over a chair. He took a seat on the other side of the bed, took off his boots and then laid down next to Midnight. She was almost asleep again and unconsciously snuggled into his body. Vincent was a bit taken back first, but he soon enjoyed the feeling of her being this close to him and he carefully wrapped his arms around her and placed his chin on her head as he fell into a peaceful slumber. The both of them were acting completely out of character, but they both enjoyed it and for the first time in a long time, they both slept completely peacefully and without a single nightmare plaguing their minds.


	13. Nightmares

**Disclaimer: **No, Final Fantasy does not belong to me, I'm using the products of SE's imagination to get my own out there. I may not own much, but I do still own Skylar, Nathaniel and Midnight! They're mine! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA *cough* sorry about that, but you get the point.

**Note: **I'm not going all out on the layout again, I'm pretty sure you all know what everything looks like by now :)

**Big thanks!**

To dragondeathqueen, for the review, as usual it's appreciated very much :)

To chitsuki-chan for adding my story to your favorites list :)

To inktears for adding my story to your lart and favorites list :)

And a big thanks to LsShinigamiRose, for the review and for adding my story to your alert and favorites list :)

Enjoy! ^^

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 13: Nightmares**

The next morning, Midnight woke up to light shining through the window and onto her closed eyes. She squinted as she carefully opened her eyes and tried to figure out what the weight on her waist and the source of warmth in front of her were. She opened her eyes further and was greeted with the sight of a sleeping Vincent, his bandana disheveled and his arm around her waist.

_Why are we in bed together?_

_- You had a most terrible nightmare last night. Vincent and Chaos were out but I managed to get into contact with them and they came back. – _Manalani explained.

- Now I remember. He comforted me... And I asked him to stay. –

Vincent's eyes twitched for a moment as he woke up. Midnight shifted her gaze from the wall behind Vincent to him and his crimson orbs were staring back at her. There was a question in his eyes.

"Why did you ask me to stay?" he asked softly, his voice a bit scratchy.

Midnight continued to look at him for a moment before answering. Could she tell him the truth? She really didn't have that much of a choice after that night's episode... But maybe...

"I didn't feel like being alone."

Vincent nodded, he could tell this wasn't the whole truth but it was good enough for him.

"Why did you stay?" Midnight questioned him, locking eyes with him.

"I was worried."

This time, Midnight nodded and looked down at the sheets for a moment.

"I should go take a shower," Midnight said as she carefully pulled herself away from Vincent and left the warmth and comfort of the silk sheets.

Vincent got up as well, put his boots back on, picked up his cloak and left the room as Midnight went into the bathroom to get cleaned up. She came out again moments later, dressed in a pair of black jeans, a black boy beater and her usual gloves, and made her way into the kitchen downstairs where Vincent was placing 2 plates of toast on the table. She took a seat opposite him and they enjoyed their breakfast in silence. After cleaning the dishes, Vincent lead her into a room upstairs. She looked around, curious as to what he was about to show her, when he suddenly opened a door that had been invisible before. He lit the torch next to the door and motioned for her to follow him as he started his ways down the dark stairs. Midnight followed him, her senses on alert as the air around her became a bit colder and the scent of damp filled her nostrils. Vincent suddenly opened a door to a new room and Midnight waited until he'd lit all of the torches in the room, casting an orange glow over numerous shelves of books and, to Midnight's slight surprise, a coffin. Vincent noticed the questioning look that appeared on her face as she laid eyes on the coffin in which he'd slept for 30 years after Hojo's experiments, but he decided to leave her questions unanswered for the time being.

"These journals all seem to be about the experiments on your father," he said as he handed her a set of notebooks.

Midnight took them from him and took a seat at a small table that was placed in the room.

"I'll see if I can find more while you read those," Vincent added as he looked at the notebooks.

He picked out the one that followed after the last one he'd read and sat down with her, the 2 of them reading in silence.

This was how they spent their days in Nibelheim. They'd get up, have breakfast, do research, have dinner, relax for a bit and go to bed. Sometimes, Midnight would go out hunting and Vincent would leave the house while she was asleep to let Chaos out. After a few nights of Vincent stumbling upon Midnight amidst a nightmare, it had become a habit for him to spend the night in her room. He'd sneak in when she was asleep, sit beside her bed and sneak back out before she had a chance to wake up. During these times, Chaos was being more annoying than ever, constantly urging him into crawling into bed with Midnight and performing ministrations on her only allowed by a lover. Vincent had a tough time keeping Chaos at bay, but he somehow managed. According to Vincent, Midnight never knew of his presence in her room, but she did. Ainra had been bothering her as well. Waking her up during random times of the night, ushering her into inviting Vincent into her bed and performing numerous acts on him, some of which Midnight doubted were physically possible. And then there were those moments in the basement... There were moments when she would find herself only inches away from Vincent, whether it was to look at something he was pointing out to her or to pick up a book at the same time. With every passing day, she found herself enjoying Vincent's company more and more, there had even been times during dinner when they'd just stare into each other's eyes for a few minutes before abruptly looking away as they realized what they were doing.

One day, during breakfast, Midnight and Vincent were surprised by a loud knock on the heavy doors of the mansion. They sent each other questioning looks and got up, Vincent took a hold of his gun Cerberus and Midnight picked up her katana as she carefully followed a few feet behind him. Vincent carefully opened the door and was surprised to see Cid, Cloud, Tifa, Nathaniel and Skylar standing in front of him.

"So, you gonna let us in or what?" Cid asked and incent quickly stepped aside to let them in.

Nathaniel and Skylar immediately went over to Midnight and engulfed her in a hug.

- Come on guys, it's only been a week. – she mentally told them, laughter in her voice.

The 2 of them only smiled at her as Skylar gave her a meaningful look.

"The party will be in 3 days, we came to pick you guys up," Tifa said with a smile.

Midnight and Vincent nodded and Midnight went upstairs to collect her few belongings. Skylar followed her upstairs and stood in the doorway of her room as she put on her armory.

"So, what've you been doing up here?" he questioned her.

"Research," she replied in a cool voice.

"Anything happen between you 2?"

She looked up from what she was doing and locked eyes with him.

"I'll tell you later."

She didn't feel like telling him the entire story now, it would make their companions downstairs suspicious and she didn't want to risk any of them barging in while she was in the middle of her story. She quickly put on her coat and cloak and lead Skylar downstairs again and the groups was ready to leave. They left the mansion, entered Cid's airship and were soon on their way back to Midgar.

"Oh my gosh! That looks so cute on you!" Tifa exclaimed as Yuffie came out of the dress room in a knee length azure blue dress.

Midnight lazily looked up at Yuffie.

_Why oh why did I have to come shopping with them AGAIN?_

This was the 15th dress Yuffie had tried on and Midnight was praying with her entire being that this would be the one she wanted. She had to admit, the dress did complement her. It had an azure blue color, it was strapless with a fitting body and a slightly wider skirt that looked as though it was folded in some places. It fit her figure perfect. Yuffie scrutinized her look in the mirror and eventually decided that this would be the one. Midnight and the shopkeeper let put a simultaneous sigh of relief as Yuffie disappeared in the dress room again to change into her own clothes. Tifa took another look at the dress she'd decided on. It was a chocolate brown color with a slightly red glow to it with only one shoulder strap, leaving the other completely exposed, It had a rouched bodice and a smooth floor length skirt that flowed out slightly at the bottom. Midnight hadn't found her dress yet but she was sure she wouldn't find it in this store. They didn't have anything in black and she insisted on black. They strolled around Midgar for a while as Tifa tried to drag her into random dress stores. She was desperate to find Midnight a dress. And not just any dress, a dress that would make her shine. Weeks before, Tifa had been to Midnight's room to bring her fresh towels and she hadn't been there, Tifa had heard her voice form the roof and she'd discovered that Midnight and Vincent spend some of their nights together up there. It had been a long time since Vincent had noticed somebody the way he noticed her and Tifa was determined to show Midnight's best side.

"Tifa can we please go back? I'm hungry," Yuffie whined after a while.

"Yuffie, we have to find a dress for Midnight."

"Don't worry about it, I'll come back and find one tomorrow," Midnight quickly said before Yuffie could whine more.

Tifa looked at Midnight for a moment but gave in with a sigh as she saw the glare Midnight was about to give her. The 3 of them soon made it back to 7th Heaven and enjoyed dinner with the rest of the group. They spent some more time talking to each other and drinking in the bar until the customers went home and everybody went to bed. Midnight however, found herself on the roof again, patiently waiting for Vincent.

_- You like him, don't you? – _Manalani softly asked.

Midnight let out a soft sigh, contemplating her answer.

- I like his company.- she finally answered.

Midnight looked up at the moon and soon Vincent joined her on the roof.

"You've survived Yuffie once again," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Only barely," Midnight replied without looking at him.

They sat in silence for a while, simply staring at the stars, when Vincent looked at Midnight. The moonlight made her glow, she was beautiful. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to pull the hair sticks, which she used to keep her hair in a bun, out of her hair and to watch the moonlight dance through the blue tresses as the silver strands sparkled like stars. Because of his day dream like state, he hadn't noticed his hand move toward her hair until he had already taken a hold of one of the hair sticks and she turned to look at him with a questioning look. She found herself staring into Vincent's crimson orbs, his face only inches away from her own. When Vincent didn't notice any protest coming from Midnight, he carefully pulled out her hair sticks one by one and kept his gaze fixed on her eyes as her blue and silver mane cascaded down her shoulders in gentle waves, reminding Vincent of an endless ocean underneath a star filled sky. He carefully lifted his right hand and gently ran it through her hair, tearing his eyes away from hers to watch the moon play its tricks in it. He then softly placed his hand on Midnight's cheek and his eyes found hers again. Her golden orbs seemed to entice him, they seemed to lure him into a sea of gold from which there would be no escape, while Midnight felt herself get lost in the crimson fires that seemed to lock her in place. She unconsciously leaned into his hand and enjoyed the warmth coming through his glove. Suddenly, it seemed as though Midnight had been shaken awake from her dazed state.

_I can't do this... I have to go!_

She blinked a few times and carefully pulled back from Vincent's hand. He gave her a slightly surprised look but said nothing as she shifted her gaze to the moon.

"I should go," she whispered after a few moments.

Vincent only nodded, her hair sticks still in his hand.

"Can I stay with you?" Vincent softly asked as Midnight started to get up, he didn't know what had compelled him into asking her, he just knew he wanted to be close to her.

Midnight nodded and went into her room, picked up her pajamas and went into the bathroom to change. When she came out again, Vincent had just entered her room in a pair of flannel black pants and a black shirt, he wasn't wearing his gauntlet but a simple black glove. They both crawled under the covers of the bed and Vincent placed his arms around Midnight as she carefully snuggled into his muscular chest. She wondered how this was possible, she had always been strong, had always dealt with her nightmares on her own, had always taken care of herself, but ever since Vincent comforted her that night at the mansion, she felt almost as though she needed him to be around. She felt completely safe with him, a feeling that had been lost to her ever since she'd lost her home and family. Vincent carefully looked down at the woman in his arms. What was it that made him want to be there for her? Why did he feel the unexplainable need to protect her? A single thought occupied both their minds before they fell into a deep slumber: _What the hell am I doing?_


	14. Again

**Disclaimer: **No, Final Fantasy does not belong to me, I'm using the products of SE's imagination to get my own out there. I may not own much, but I do still own Skylar, Nathaniel and Midnight! They're mine! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA *cough* sorry about that, but you get the point.

**Big thanks!**

To dragondeathqueen, for the review, that's a good question, but it will be answered in due time :) just stick with me ^^

To Shrigo, for your review ^^ I really hope I'm not making you sleep deprived :p

To darkness101 for adding my story to your favorites list ^^

And to 0chiyuki0 for adding my story to your alert list ^^

And of course to everybody else out there who takes the time to read the strange outcomes of my mind.

Enjoy and feel free to review, it can only help me improve :)

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 14: Again**

The next morning, Midnight woke up with something warm pressed against her back, her head resting on something that clearly wasn't her pillow, a weight on her waist, something warm in her hand and a soft breeze in her neck. As she slowly opened her eyes and squinted against the attack of the sunlight in her room, she realized what was going on. The thing pressed against her back was Vincent's body, her head was resting on his arm, the weight on her waist was his other arm, the warm thing in her hand was his hand and the breeze in her neck was his breath when he breathed out. Deciding that she didn't feel like getting up yet, she snuggled a bit further into his body and felt his arm tighten around her as if he was afraid that she would leave. Her peace was short lived when a knock on her door snapped her back to reality and made Vincent's eyes shoot open. He looked at the body snuggled up against his and remembered he'd stayed with Midnight the night before. Before either Vincent or Midnight could make a move to get up, the door to Midnight's room swung open and revealed Skylar. He looked surprised at first but then the expression on his face turned into a smug one.

"Anything I should know about?" he questioned while raising an eyebrow at the sight before him.

Midnight only glared at him as Vincent carefully got up and left the room. Skylar closed the door and took a seat on a chair opposite Midnight's bed.

"Care to explain?" he asked her as he searched her face for any type of emotion, as usual there was nothing.

Midnight looked up at him and decided now was as good as any a time to tell him about the things that happened in Nibelheim.

"The first night we were staying at the mansion, I had a nightmare. It was one of the worst ones so far and Vincent... He consoled me. I didn't want to be alone so he stayed the night in my room and he held me," Midnight explained, her voice soft and her eyes focused on a spot on the floor.

Skylar waited patiently for her to continue.

"I realized the nightmares weren't there when he was with me."

Skylar gave her a knowing smile, he'd realized Vincent's impact on Midnight's nightmares after noticing their meetings on the roof at night. He didn't tell her though, these were things she needed to figure out on her own.

"You care for him as more than a friend, don't you?" he eventually asked.

Midnight looked up at him, a bewildered expression on her face.

"I like being close to him, yes, but to say that I care about him in that way... I just can't Skylar. He almost kissed me last night but I just couldn't. I can't afford to get close to him, you know that," she said.

"From the looks of it it's a little late for that, Midnight. How come he stayed with you tonight?"

"He offered and I accepted."

"See. He likes being close to you as much as you like being close to him. Don't lock yourself away, Midnight, let him come close. Maybe he can help you get rid of the ghosts."

Midnight didn't reply. She stared at the floor for a few moments longer and then picked up some supplies for a shower as Skylar left her room.

During the conversation between Skylar and Midnight, Vincent had been doing some contemplating of his own. He'd gotten into the shower and the water streamed over his body as his thoughts dwelled on Midnight and the fact that Lucrecia hadn't crossed his mind once ever since Midnight had joined him to Nibelheim.

_Her scent is so... intoxicating... And her eyes, oh god, her eyes._

_- Looks like you've got it pretty bad Vinnie. – _Chaos piped up as usual.

Vincent let a growl escape his lips.

- Damn it Chaos, not now. –

_- I'm just trying to help you. I know something that you may find interesting. –_

- What is it? –

_- She doesn't have any nightmares when you're with her. –_

- So I've noticed. –

_- And she enjoys being close to you as much as you enjoy being close to her. – _Chaos' voice had once again gained a suggestive tone.

- Shut up already Chaos. –

Vincent pushed Chaos back into the corners of his mind and quickly finished his shower.

Midnight swiftly went downstairs and into the kitchen to have a quick breakfast before she would head into Midgar in search of a dress. She wanted to leave early to make sure that Tifa wouldn't end up going with her. She'd just put the last bite of toast into her mouth when Nathaniel entered the kitchen, a sleepy look on his face.

"What are you doing up so early?" he asked, sleep evident in his voice.

"I still need a dress for the party and I don't want Tifa to come with me."

Nathaniel nodded as he took a seat and waited for the others to come downstairs. Midnight quickly picked up her coat and left 7th Heaven, starting her quest for a dress. She spent almost the entire day walking in and out of shops, and she was getting fed up. She hated shopping, especially when she was looking for something and couldn't find it. It was nearing 4pm and she'd gotten worried messages from Skylar. She replied to him that she was still looking for a dress and he offered to meet her in the shop where he would be getting tuxes with the rest of the men. Midnight agreed and made her way to the shop, meeting Skylar at the entrance.

"No luck so far?" he asked, a teasing smile on his face.

Midnight simply gave him an irritated glare and accompanied him, Nathaniel, Cloud and Vincent into the store. Skylar told the shopkeeper what they were looking for and a woman immediately pulled Midnight away from the men to another part of the shop where they kept all sorts of dresses, out of sight of the men.

"What kind of dress would you like, miss?" the woman asked her.

"Something black," was all Midnight said.

The woman guided her to a corner of the shop that held nothing but black dresses.

"Long or short?" she asked.

"I prefer long, it's for a formal anniversary."

"Well then, I'm first going to give you these, they all have a different neckline, just to see what fits your figure best," the woman said as she lead Midnight to a dress room, pushed her inside and placed a number of dresses on a rack.

Midnight changed out of her clothes and after trying on various dresses, she and the woman of the shop decided that a strapless dress would look best on her for the occasion. She once again had to try on a variety of dresses but eventually managed to find one. It was a simple strapless black dress with a fitting bodice, a slightly flowing skirt and a crimson sash around her waist of which the ends reached the bottom of the dress.

"You should take those gloves off though dear," the woman said and she had already pulled one of her gloves halfway before Midnight could stop her.

"I'd rather wear them," she said, giving the woman and intense look.

The woman looked down at her arm and noticed a few of her scars.

"Don't worry dear, I've got something for that."

She quickly disappeared and came back with 2 small jars and a flat paint brush. She quickly took off one of Midnight's gloves and carefully started to apply the cream from one of the jars on her arm, covering up her scars. She then took the lid off the other jar and used it to cover the cream with a powder.

"Just put this on, it's waterproof and everything so you won't have to worry about it coming off," she said with a smile as she placed the jars and brush on the table.

The woman then gave Midnight a pair of black stiletto shoes, a ruby necklace and thin silver bracelet. Midnight looked at her reflection and thanked the woman for all her help and told her she was taking the dress, shoes and jewelry, as well as the make-up. She changed back into her own clothes and followed the woman to the register. She'd just put her money away again when the men came out as well, their tuxes on their arms. Skylar had a tired expression on his face and let out a deep sigh as he took place next to her in front of the register.

"Pfff, no wonder you hate shopping," he said.

Midnight only gave him a smirk and waited for them to finish paying for their things and then joined them on their way back to 7th Heaven. Before they could enter, Midnight heard a growl from the shadows and turned around to be faced with Romulus. She indicated for the guys to go inside and she turned her attention to him.

"I thought you said you were going to help me," he growled.

"And I plan on keeping my word."

"It's been over a week! You haven't done a damn thing!"

"I had to look up some things. I assure you that we'll be ready in a few days."

"What if my family doesn't have a few days?"

By now, the Wolf's face was overrun with despair, tears were starting to sting his eyes but he refused to let them be seen.

"After tomorrow, we may have more numbers. We'll take action then," Midnight said as she thought of the man named Reeve.

"Don't you have the support of the Vampire already?" he snarled, every word dripping with disgust.

"Would you like to owe them?" she questioned him as she raised her eyebrow.

Yes, she did have their support, but she wanted to do her best to avoid calling upon them. She hadn't spoken to them in a while and she wasn't sure if they still had the same leader or not. The old one was loyal to her, but if there was a new one... She didn't want to take any risk, especially not in this situation.

Romulus nodded his understanding at her statement.

"Just... Please hurry," he said in a soft voice as he disappeared into the shadows again.

Midnight entered the bar and went into the kitchen, explained the situation and ate dinner with the others. The rest of the evening passed as usual, the bar opened and closed and everyone went to bed.


	15. Magic

**Disclaimer: **Final Fantasy still does not belong to me, I only use it to fill up my paper. Secondly, the song in this part is not mine either, credit for this one goes out to Alan Menken and Howard Ashman for writing it and to John McLaughlin for singing it. With all these things that do not belong to me, Midnight, Skylar, Nathaniel, the Boss and this story line are still all MINE!

**Big thanks!**

To dragondeathqueen, for the review, hope your camping trip is fun ^^

To Blehlove and ZakuReno for adding my story to your alert list ^^

This one's a little longer than the others and there's gonna be some smuttiness :p

Enjoy and feel free to let me know what you think :)

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 15: Magic**

The next day, everybody was up early. After breakfast, they were joined by the rest of AVALANCHE and Rude and Reno. They collected everything they needed for the party and headed off to WRO headquarters, Reeve's organization and the location they had chosen for the party.

"Cloud, good to see you again," a tall, dark haired man dressed in blue greeted Cloud.

"Sure is, Reeve."

Reeve welcomed them all in, introduced himself to Midnight and showed them the ballroom he was offering them for the party. They looked around as Tifa and Yuffie walked around the room, deciding where to put the food, drinks, tables and where the dance floor would be. Midnight had to admit, this room was perfect. The ballroom was elegant while at the same time had a modern air to it. It was incredibly spacious, with a high ceiling and tall windows that lead to a balcony with a view of the neatly groomed gardens on one side of the room. The other walls were covered in a light, elegant baroque style wallpaper with mahogany wooden panels covering the lower 4 feet of the walls, making the room seem even higher than it already was.

"Shouldn't you be over there, gushing with them?" Reno asked Midnight, a teasing smile on his face.

"Oh, no, I'd rather leave that to you," she replied, the corners of her lips tugging up into a smirk.

Their conversation was soon cut short when Tifa handed out assignments to everyone, putting Midnight in charge of getting the room decorated. Midnight let out a soft sigh, praying to whatever upper being that felt like listening that she could manage to do this the way Tifa expected her to. Tifa showed her the flowers, candles, curtains and other objects she was supposed to use.

"I was thinking of maybe just draping a few curtains over the walls, to give it a bit of a warmer feeling, and some candles and flowers on the table," Tifa explained as she moved her hands around to show Midnight what she meant.

Midnight nodded and looked around the room for a bit longer, trying to decide the best way to decorate.

"Need some help?" she heard a deep voice ask behind her and turned around to be faced with Vincent.

She nodded and told him what Tifa had told her and the 2 of them got to work with the curtains. By the time they were ready, most of the tables were in place. Tifa had chosen blue sun orchids and soft pink orchids. Yuffie and Tifa placed tables clothes on the tables and Vincent and Midnight followed with flowers.

"Yow, Vinnie! You look good as a flower girl!" Reno joked, earning a glare from Vincent and a smack on the back of his head by Barrett.

The room was decorated in a few hours, leaving them all with some time left to relax. Midnight decided to go take a look at the large gardens while the others decided to go swimming or hang out by the pool. Reeve lead Midnight outside and then joined the others, leaving her to roam on her own. She followed the stone path through various flowers and bushes until she found herself in a small clearing surrounded by a high hedge. There were no flowers, only grass and an old willow tree. Midnight carefully pushed the branches of the tree aside and entered the small haven of peace the branches provided. She took a seat on the soft grass, her back against the trunk of the tree and closed her eyes as she breathed in the clean scent of the air and the garden. For the first time in years, she felt completely at peace. Her genes were quiet and for a moment, she almost felt as though she was a child again, no worries, no nightmares and completely oblivious to the evils of the world. She let out a deep sigh, she'd seen too much. She'd almost come to despise the human race, it was capable of things not a being in the world should be capable of. Her peace was suddenly interrupted when she heard a rustling in the branches of the tree and was greeted with the sight of Nathaniel.

"It's very nice here," he softly said as he sat down next to her.

Midnight only nodded.

"Tifa asked me to come get you, the party starts in about 2 hours and she wants everybody to get ready."

"Let's go then," Midnight sighed.

She reluctantly got up and accompanied Nathaniel back into the mansion.

"Reeve gave us all rooms, I'm afraid you'll have to share a room with Vincent though," Nathaniel explained as he lead Midnight up the stairs.

"Doesn't matter."

Nathaniel smirked at Midnight's reply and stopped in front of a door. He knocked and Vincent opened a few moments later, his long hair was dripping water and he was wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

_Oh...my...god... Snap out of it Midnight!_

"Tifa still has my dress," Midnight told Nathaniel, trying her hardest to keep her attention away from Vincent.

"She dropped it off, it's on the bed," Vincent said as he stepped aside slightly and indicated towards the bed.

Midnight nodded and went inside as Nathaniel went to his own room, which he shared with Skylar, and Vincent shut the door. As he turned and looked at Midnight she couldn't help but drink in the sight of him. He almost looked like a god with drips of water from his hair falling onto his pale skin and his lean but muscular body covered in nothing but a towel. Vincent suddenly felt extremely self conscious as he noticed Midnight's eyes move over his body, stopping for a moment when she saw his left arm. He looked at it and quickly put it behind his back, earning a frown from Midnight as she walked over to him and carefully pulled his arm toward her to inspect it. She carefully took his hand in hers and examined it. All the skin from his elbow to his hand was jet-black, as though it had been burned like a log of wood. She carefully ran her fingers over the skin to discover that it felt the same as regular skin, it only looked different. She was shaken out of her slight daze when Vincent cleared his throat.

"I already took a shower, that way you can use the bathroom until we have to go downstairs for the party," he softly said as Midnight let go of his hand and nodded.

She picked up her dress and small bag from the bed and locked herself in the bathroom, resting her back against the door for a moment as she tried to get her mind on track again.

_- Now THAT was SOMETHING! – _Ainra breathlessly said in her mind.

- I couldn't agree more. – Midnight replied.

She took off her clothes and started filling the large tub in the bathroom, deciding that she would take a long bath and then get dressed and groomed for the party. Meanwhile, Vincent had put on a pair of pants and was buttoning up his shirt and let out a deep sigh as he heard the water running in the bathroom. He was sharing a room with Midnight, he had to admit, it did make things a bit easier, but at the same time, more complicated. She knew about his hand now, he would have to give her an explanation, maybe even tell her about Lucrecia, but she hadn't asked. He stood in front of a full length mirror and looked at his unusual experience. He was wearing a pair of loose black pants and a dark blue dress shirt which created a strong contrast with his crimson eyes, his trademark bandana was lying on the table and his hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, some of the bangs in his face. He took a seat on the bed and put his feet up to lie back while waiting for Midnight and the party to start. He soon dozed off without realizing it.

"_Vincent…?"_

"_Vincent...?"_

_That voice... He knew that voice... But what was she doing here?_

"_Lucrecia?"_

"_Finally!"_

"_What are you doing here?"_

"_You need to forgive yourself. I already forgave you, you know that, it's time you forgive yourself."_

_Vincent didn't respond. How could he just forgive himself? He let her die._

"_It's time you open up again Vincent. You love her, you know you do."_

"_But Lucrecia -"_

"_No buts! There's no reason for you to stay so closed up Vincent. You both need each other more than you care to admit, it's time to let you love each other," Lucrecia spoke, compassion in her voice._

_Vincent stayed silent. Could she be right? Could it really be time to move on?_

Vincent was pulled out of his dreams when he heard the door to the bathroom open. Midnight came out and Vincent felt his breath get stuck in his throat when he looked at her. The dress she was wearing hugged her body in all the right places and the crimson sash created a gorgeous contrast to her hair. Her midnight blue strands were streaming down her back like a waterfall with her bangs slightly in front of her eyes, adding to the mystery of her golden orbs. Her arms were bare and she was wearing eye shadow that fazed from red in the inner corner of her eye to black on the outer, making the gold of her eyes stand out even more.

_- – _Chaos purred in his mind after letting out a cat whistle at the sight of Midnight.

Vincent wasn't the only one having trouble, Midnight was fighting Ainra in her mind to keep it out of the gutter, she'd never seen anyone so… sexy. The view in front of her was incredible, it still wasn't a match for the sight of Vincent in nothing but a towel, but his current outfit and the way he was leisurely laying against the headboard, his hair hanging slightly in front of his face, made it slightly difficult for her to focus on the task at hand, which was basically entering the room and get her shoes on. The both of them eventually managed to snap out of it and Midnight sat down on the edge of the bed to put on a pair of black stiletto heels. As she was fastening the straps, she heard Vincent get up behind her and put on a pair of black gloves. A few moments later, they heard a knock on the door and Vincent opened it to reveal Skylar and Nathaniel.

"The party's starting in about half an hour and Tifa asked me to get you guys already," Skylar said.

Vincent nodded and turned to see if Midnight was ready to go. Midnight got up, picked up a thin scarf which she draped across her elbows and followed Vincent out of the room. Skylar and Nathaniel looked at her with wide eyes for a moment before both complementing her on her dress. Midnight politely thanked them and followed them downstairs, where the rest was waiting, all dressed up of course. Tifa went around the ball room one last time to see if everything was in order and the guests arrived soon after. They all enjoyed an elaborate dinner and soon all took place on the dance floor and elegantly swayed to the music of the band. Skylar had found himself a nice young lady to talk to while Nathaniel had somehow paired up with Yuffie and Midnight and Vincent were sitting next to each other at a table, sipping wine and watching the others dance. After a while, Cloud had joined them, Yuffie was talking to Tifa in a corner and Skylar asked Midnight to dance as the beat of a Latin dance song filled the room. Midnight was reluctant at first but eventually gave in and followed him to the dance floor where they soon swayed their hips and twisted and turned to the beat. They soon had a bit of an audience and Nathaniel took Skylar's place when he decided to finish the dance with the girl he'd been talking to after seeing her look of admiration for his skills.

"I gotta tell you something, and you're not going to like it," Nathaniel told her.

Midnight gave him a slightly questioning look.

"Tifa and Yuffie are going to try and get you and Vincent to dance together."

Midnight let out a sigh and looked at Yuffie and Tifa for a moment. She wouldn't mind doing something with Vincent, she just didn't like dancing. At all. The only reason she'd agreed to dancing with Skylar was because she knew he'd make a scene if she didn't, and she didn't like that either. She soon saw Yuffie walk over to Vincent and whisper something to him, causing Vincent to give her a slightly annoyed look. Yuffie left again and Midnight resumed her seat after the song had ended. She and Vincent sat in pleasant silence as they watched the others sway over the dance floor and Yuffie sent Vincent secretive looks every once in a while.

"Is there something I should know about?" Midnight asked him as she looked at Yuffie while leaning closer to him.

"She told me that if I don't dance with you, she'll move in with me," Vincent said, an annoyed sigh leaving his lips.

He really didn't care about Yuffie threatening him, it was the thing she was threatening him with. Everybody knew how much Vincent liked his quiet solitude, he wouldn't really mind giving up his solitude, but there was no way in the Lifestream he was going to give up his silence. And with Yuffie around... let's just say he would most probably crawl back into his coffin... and send a couple of bullets through his head. Eventually, a slow song came up and Yuffie gave Vincent a meaningful look.

"_You're in my arms,_

_And all the world is calm_

_The music playing on for only two"_

"Would you like to dance?" Vincent asked Midnight as he held his hand out to her.

"Considering the fact that it may save you from a most brutal death, yes," she replied as she took his hand and the corners of her lips turned upwards into a smirk.

Vincent lead her onto the dance floor and placed a hand on the small of her back as she gracefully placed her hand on his shoulder.

"_So close together_

_And when I'm with you_

_So close to feeling alive"_

They softly swayed to the music as crimson locked onto gold.

"_A life goes by_

_Romantic dreams will stop_

_So I bid mine goodbye and never knew"_

Skylar, Nathaniel, Cloud, Yuffie and Tifa could only watch the spectacle between Vincent and Midnight unfold as they followed the rhythm of the music. The effect of the music was sheer magic, their eyes were locked onto each other as they glided across the dance floor as though they'd been doing it for years.

"_So close was waiting, waiting here with you_

_And now forever I know_

_All that I wanted to hold you_

_So close"_

Midnight twisted and twirled as Vincent let her roll out of his arm and back, bringing the both of them extremely close for a moment until they resumed their places and continued to sway to the rhythm.

"_So close to reaching that famous happy ending_

_Almost believing that this was not pretend_

_And now you're beside me and look how far we've come_

_So far we are so close"_

Unconsciously, Vincent and Midnight moved closer to each other as they turned and swayed. Midnight's back was turned to Vincent, one arm around her waist as the other continued to lead them with her hand in his. His head was resting on her shoulder, close to her neck, and he breathed in her divine jasmine sent.

"_How could I face the faceless days_

_If I should lose you now?"_

Midnight felt herself get lost in the sensation of Vincent's breath on her neck and his arm around her waist. His breath was gone suddenly when he spun her back out and brought her back to face him as his hand resumed its place on her back and he continued to sway them across the floor.

"_We're so close_

_To reaching that famous happy end_

_And almost believing this was not pretend_

_Let's go on dreaming for we know we are_

_So close_

_So close_

_And still so far"_

The song slowly came to an end and Midnight and Vincent had gotten so close to each other that there were mere inches left between their faces as they stared into each other's eyes. They just had to lean toward each other a tiny little bit and... They both suddenly looked away as they realized the position they were in and pulled apart slightly. They returned to their table as the guests around them continued to dance, ignoring their friends' satisfied looks.

The party had finally come to an end and Vincent and Midnight were back in their room, Midnight was removing her makeup and Vincent was carefully undoing the buttons on his shirt, the dance he'd shared with Midnight swarming through his mind.

_- Seriously, why didn't you kiss her? It was the perfect opportunity! – _Chaos scolded him while Ainra was doing the same in Midnight's mind.

Neither Vincent nor Midnight answered their genes and continued getting ready for bed. Moments later, Midnight came out of the bathroom in a pair of short shorts and a tank top and was once again greeted with the sigh of a shirtless Vincent

_Damn it. Why does he have to be so good looking?_

_- Because that's what hot guys do, honey, they're good looking. – _Ainra answered Midnight's question.

He was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard, and gave Midnight a questioning look when she didn't come to bed herself.

"If you like, I can sleep on the couch," he carefully said.

"No, it's okay," Midnight said as she snapped out of her slight daze and carefully crawled under the sheets and welcomed the embrace Vincent offered her.

They had to admit, they were a rather strange pair. There was nothing between them but friendship, yet they still slept the best when they slept in each other's arms. Midnight let out a soft sigh as she snuggled into Vincent's chest.

"Did you have a nice time?" he softly asked her as he wrapped his arms around her and enjoyed her proximity.

"Sure," she replied.

The 2 of them soon fell into a dreamless sleep, the corners of their lips turned upwards in a content smile. No matter what anybody said, they were not in love. They were just friends. There were no feelings between them whatsoever... or so they hoped...


	16. Postparty Events

**Disclaimer: **Final Fantasy still does not belong to me, I only use it to fill up my paper. Midnight, Skylar, Nathaniel, the Boss and this story line are still all MINE!

**Big thanks!**

To dragondeathqueen, for the review and for introducing my story to your friends :)

To Saber Amane for the review and for adding my story to your alert list ^^

To Koori no Kitsune for adding my story to your favorites and alert list ^^

Enjoy and feel free to let me know what you think :)

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 16: Post-party Events**

The next morning, Midnight found herself with her head lying on something that seemed just a little bit too hard to be her pillow. She slowly opened her eyes and noticed her head was lying on Vincent's chest, her arm draped over his stomach. One of Vincent's arms was resting on Midnight's while his other was wrapped around her shoulders and his cheek rested on top of her head. Vincent's eyes slowly opened as he felt slight movement beside him. He looked down and was greeted by Midnight's golden eyes looking up at him. She tugged the corners of her lips upwards slightly and then proceeded to get out of bed and into the bathroom. Vincent let out a sigh as he once again listened to the running water. His thoughts drifted back to the dance they'd shared the night before.

_- Seriously Vinnie, I still don't get why you didn't just kiss her. – _Chaos piped up.

- Be quiet. –

_- No, I mean it. What was stopping you? You're not seriously still thinking 'bout that chick in the cave are you? –_

Vincent only growled, refusing to admit that Chaos' question was actually a good one. Why hadn't he kissed Midnight?

_Because I don't deserve it. I failed then, and if I let her get too close, she won't be safe._

_- Oh yeah, you just keep on telling yourself that. You're a little too late though. You don't honestly think that friends sleep the way you guys do? –_

Vincent hated it when Chaos was right. But still, it just wasn't possible.

- We only sleep like that because it makes her feel calmer. -

_- Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure. And why exactly would you care? I mean, Yuffie had a few nightmares a while ago, and you didn't run off into her room. You didn't let HER sleep in your arms. –_

- Just be quiet, Chaos. I don't have time for you right now. –

And with a last snicker, Chaos disappeared into the corners of his mind again. Midnight soon came out of the bedroom again and they collected their things and joined the others for breakfast.

"Ooooohhhhh," Reno moaned in pain as he rubbed his head while coming into the dining room.

"Whassup kid, can't take ya liquor?" Barrett laughed.

Reno simply sent him an angry look and took a seat, putting his head down on the table with yet another groan of pain.

Reeve came in moments later, an amused smile on his face after seeing Reno's condition.

"Well, I can't say I didn't warn you about raiding my wine cellar," he laughed as he gave Reno a pat on the shoulder.

The only response Reno could muster was yet another groan. Throughout breakfast, Reno got teased more by the others as they all laughed at his misfortune. He'd gotten incredibly drunk the night before and was now paying for it dearly. After breakfast, they all collected in the main hall, saying their goodbyes to Reeve and Caith Sid and got ready to return to Midgar, where Cid would pick up his airship to take Yuffie and Barrett to Costa Del Sol. However, what they saw when they came back to 7th Heaven, was not what they'd been expecting. There, in front of the door, was a group of 6 men, 2 of them carrying a bloody mess of clothes. Midnight, Skylar and Nathaniel stepped forward and recognized the bloody mess as Romulus. The other 6 were Werewolves, probably members of Romulus' pack. One of them stepped forward, his eyes fixed on Midnight's.

"He told us you would help him," he said.

Midnight didn't reply at first, she simply kept her gaze fixed on his and tried to see his intentions. She looked around at the rest of the group and realized they were all fairly young men, not much older than her. After a few more moments of silence, she nodded and turned to Tifa.

"Do you have emergency supplies?" Midnight asked her.

Tifa nodded and quickly stepped through the group of Wolves and opened the door as Midnight motioned for them to carry Romulus inside. Everyone followed and Midnight swiftly took off her coat and told them to place Romulus on the kitchen table.

"Tifa, I'll need those supplies, some boiling water and some old towels," she instructed.

Tifa nodded and immediately put a pot of water on the stove and went to get the other things she needed. Midnight checked to see if Romulus was still alive, she felt a pulse but it had gotten very weak. If she was going to help him, she would have to be fast.

"What happened?" she asked the other Wolves as she took the pot of water from the stove and took the towels Tifa handed her.

"We don't know. He left, saying he had something to do, and he came back like this," the Wolf from before told her as she carefully cut off Romulus' shirt to get a better look at the wounds.

_Damn, what a mess. I got a feeling I know who's responsible for this._

"Any idea where he went?'"

The Wolves looked at each other for a moment.

"Look, I know you've been following me and I know you've been doing it because his family will get tortured to death. All I need, is for you to tell me who did this."

Vincent had been looking at the entire display with much interest, he'd never seen Midnight like this. She was completely focused on the task of taking care of Romulus' wounds and she seemed set on figuring out who did this. He had to admit, he admired her strength.

The Wolves looked at each other for a moment before he spoke again.

"We think it was them. The scientist and this other guy. He never told us about them, but we saw them when they kidnapped his family and I followed him there once."

Midnight nodded and continued working on Romulus' wounds.

"Any news on his family?" Skylar asked them.

The Wolf looked down for a moment.

"I don't even want to think about what they may have done to them, considering his condition," he replied, sorrow in his voice.

A few hours later, Midnight had finally finished treating Romulus' wounds and they'd put him in a bed upstairs. His wounds were starting to heal on their own, but very slowly. He'd a lost a lot of blood. Evening soon rolled around and they were all enjoying dinner when they heard a stumbling noise upstairs. The Wolves quickly ran up the stairs and saw Romulus was awake.

"Where am I?" he asked as they put him back on the bed.

At that moment, Midnight walked in and his question was answered. They looked at each other for a moment but then the others came in after her and Skylar asked Romulus what had happened.

"It was them. The scientist and her father. They made them watch."

It was all the explanation they needed. Hojo and Midnight's father had tortured him and made his family watch, knowing nothing was worse than the pain inflicted on them and the fact that he was left completely helpless. Midnight looked at the others for a moment.

_We have to move now. We can't afford to wait any longer._

"We're moving in tomorrow," she said in a determined voice and went back downstairs to finish her dinner.

The others followed soon, Tifa brought up some food for Romulus and they all remained silent the rest of the evening. Cloud contacted the others of AVALANCHE and they all agreed to be there the next day and help, they knew what Hojo had done to Vincent and they didn't even want to think of the damage he could cause if he got his hands on Midnight. Eventually, the bar once again cleared of customers and they all went to bed, all but Midnight and Vincent. They met on the roof.

"What happened to your mother?" Vincent asked after a period of silence.

Midnight was silent for a moment.

"I came home from a friend's place one day, and I found her on the kitchen floor. I thought she was sleeping, and I wanted to wake her up because her head was lying at a very strange angle and I thought she'd get a cramp. Suddenly, someone grabbed me from behind and I realized that she wasn't going to wake up with a cramp, she wasn't going to wake up at all."

Midnight hung her head and did her best to fight the upcoming tears as she relived one of her most horrible memories. Vincent wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him while she placed her head on his shoulder. After a while, Midnight pulled her head back up and they stared at the sky in front of them in comfortable silence.

"Vincent?"

He turned to her, a questioning look in his eyes. She looked at him for a moment but then shook her head, indicating it was nothing and tried to turn away from him and face the sky again. She suddenly found she couldn't turn her head. She looked into Vincent's crimson eyes and realized that it was his hand on the side of her face that was preventing her from turning away from him. He'd taken off his leather glove and his touch felt like small bolts of electricity shooting through her face. No matter what she did, she couldn't look away from him.

_- Come on Vinnie, this is your move! – _Chaos softly said.

_- Don't miss this opportunity Midnight! – _Ainra chirped up, Manalani agreeing with her in the background.

Vincent and Midnight both had to agree with their genes. They couldn't lie to themselves anymore. Gold remained fixed on crimson as Vincent carefully lifted his other hand and undid the straps on his cloak, revealing the lower part of his face to her. Midnight felt like she was in a trance, she hadn't even noticed they had both been leaning closer to each other until there was but a mere breath of space left between their lips. Her eyes flicked down for a moment but were once again captivated by his. She carefully raised her hand and ran it through his bangs. This was all the encouragement Vincent still needed and he closed the space between them. Their eyes fell closed as his lips softly touched hers and an inexplicable feeling shot through them. Their lips moved in perfect sync as his hand got caught up in her hair and hers were resting on the side of his face and neck. His tongue carefully licked her bottom lip and she slowly welcomed him. Their tongues danced around each other and they soon had to pull back for air, however reluctant they were. They stayed close together and Midnight put her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his strong arms around her in a hug. She clung to him as though her life depended on it. They eventually pulled away and went inside, but they didn't sleep that night. They spent it lying next to each other in Vincent's bed, stealing a kiss every now and then, as they simply enjoyed each other's silent company and waited for the next day to come, finally at peace with their feelings for each other.


	17. So Strong, But Still So Weak

**Disclaimer: **Final Fantasy still does not belong to me, I only use it to fill up my paper. Midnight, Skylar, Nathaniel, the Boss and this story line are still all MINE!

**Big thanks!**

To dragondeathqueen, for the review, I'm glad you won the bet XD

To Shrigo, also for the review ^^ I'm really glad you like my story ^^

To Koori no Kitsune for adding me to your favorite author list ^^

and to Natsumi Chan-Tan for adding my story to you favorites list ^^

So we're starting to come to a close, I think it's only 3 more parts after this one, I'm already missing this story! Anyways, enjoy Part 17 ^^

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 17: So Strong, But Still So Weak**

Breakfast was a very silent occasion. Romulus' wounds had almost completely healed, he'd be ready in the late afternoon.

"What's the plan?" Cloud said after Tifa had cleaned up the dishes and everybody was still sitting around the table.

Skylar and Nathaniel looked at Midnight for a moment. She had her gaze on a spot on the table, thinking things over.

"Your goal is to get his family out," she said as she looked at the Wolves.

They nodded in confirmation and she continued explaining her plan.

"We'll take care of Hojo and my father."

"Your father?" one of the Wolves asked.

Midnight nodded.

"There are records of Hojo experimenting on him, but nothing says he died. Romulus told me that he was one of the men holding his family captive. Considering the records, I have no choice but to believe him."

The Wolf nodded his understanding.

"So when are we moving?" Skylar asked.

"Easiest time to get in is during the late afternoon or evening, otherwise their security cameras are bound to pick you up."

"We'll wait until your wounds are healed and then we get ready and we go," Skylar said.

He looked around the group and they all nodded their understanding. There weren't many of them, but they were determined. Cloud, Tifa, Vincent, Skylar, Nathaniel, Yuffie, Barrett, Reno, Rude, Cid, Red XIII, Nathaniel, Midnight, 6 Wolves, Romulus and himself.

Time seemed to pass at an incredibly slow rate that day but eventually Romulus was healed and they could get their things ready to go. Midnight strapped her gun to her thigh, her kodachi and sais to her back and hooked her belt around her hips, adding her throwing knives and her katana. She was once again dressed in her leather outfit, boots, pants, corset and coat. She went downstairs and looked at the group of people in front of her. They were all ready.

"We ready?" Skylar asked.

They all gave affirmative nods and they went on their way. Romulus lead the way, followed by Midnight and the others. They reached a cave deep in the woods by nightfall. They hid in the bushes as Romulus pointed out the entrance.

"There aren't any guards anywhere, I'm not sure what's going on now though. They might be expecting us."

Midnight nodded, keeping her gaze fixed on the cave.

"One of us should sneak in first, figure out a way to switch off those cameras and then the rest can follow," Nathaniel whispered.

"I'll do it, I know my way around the place. If I don't signal you guys in 15 minutes, you'll know there's guards," Romulus said.

Midnight looked at him for a moment, she didn't like the idea of him going in alone and risking his life again, but they didn't have any choice. This clearly wasn't the institution they'd escaped so many years ago, so Romulus was the only one who knew the way. Eventually she nodded and handed him her phone.

"Skylar's number is on speed dial 1. Use it to signal us, even if you're in trouble, got it?"

Romulus nodded and carefully came out of the bushes and nonchalantly walked into the cave. The door closed behind him and all they could do was wait

Romulus heard the door close behind him and he started making his way through the insides of the cave, it looked like some sort of modern facility, despite it's rough outside. He quietly entered the entrance hall and was for once grateful for the fact that the guard in the control room didn't know about his meetings with Hojo and Alexander so they weren't notified of his presence. The room was completely empty and he hurried along to the hallways where he'd be able to find his way to the control room and switch off the surveillance cameras. However, unbeknownst to Romulus, Hojo and Alexander did know of his presence, and of their plan.

"Is that her?" Hojo asked Alexander as he made the image on the screen zoom in on Midnight hiding in the bushes.

"Yes."

A sadistic smirk made its way to Hojo's features as he thought of all the possibilities. Their plan was simple, let them come in and crush them, capturing Midnight, and maybe Vincent. Lucky for them, an old friend was willing to offer his help.

"Tell me again, Boss, why didn't you chase them?" Alexander said as he looked at the blond man behind him.

"I don't really know. The fact that they ran does prove that they have genes, but I guess I just thought they'd get corrupted by their power, apparently I was wrong," he airily answered.

Hojo gave him an evil glare.

"Do you have any idea of the amount of trouble you could have saved us?"

"Oh well, you'd already killed her mother, she didn't have anywhere to go, how was I supposed to know she wouldn't go evil?"

Hojo huffed and looked back at the screen, Romulus was nearing the control room. Alexander had a thoughtful expression on his face, he still didn't feel right about having to kill his wife. There was no other way, if they'd just kidnapped Midnight, she would've pulled every possible string to get her back. A beep signaled them of Romulus' success. The surveillance cameras had been shut off.

_Let the games begin._

The smirk on Hojo's face became, if possible, even more sadistic as he waited for the spectacle to unfold on the screen in front of him.

Romulus switched off the cameras and pulled the cell phone out of his pocket, pressing the "1" button.

Skylar pulled his phone out of his pocket and nodded to Midnight. They came out of their hiding and easily walked into the caves.

- This is too easy. – she mentally told Nathaniel and Skylar.

They both nodded but still they kept on walking, their senses on high alert. They came into a great hall, which they assumed was the entrance hall, and waited for Romulus.

"Everything seems to be clear. All we have to do now is find my family," he said as he came out of a door.

No sooner had he finished his statement, or they were surrounded by complete darkness. They huddled a bit closer together as they heard shuffling around them.

"Well, well, well. Look at that," a voice suddenly rang through the darkness.

Midnight took in a sharp breath, making Vincent tense up next to her.

_That voice..._

_- It's him! – _Ainra roared in her mind.

_- Be careful Midnight, don't do anything rash. – _Manalani reasoned.

A bright spotlight suddenly appeared above them and a lamp lit up from the floor beneath them, handing a brutal attack to their eyes.

"Oh my, you sure did grow up."

That same voice again. This time, Midnight, Skylar and Nathaniel turned around and their expressions turned into death glares that would've made the dead run. There, in a second spotlight, was the Boss. Even after all those years, he still looked like a sick pervert, his hair still blond, his eyes still lustful as he looked at Midnight, an insane smirk still on his lips. Vincent felt Midnight's tense body beside him and he followed her eyes.

_So this must be the Boss._

He was fighting hard for control, Chaos was raging.

_- Damn it Vincent! Let me out! How can you just stand here like that? You know what that bastard did to Midnight and her genes! Come on! –_

"Who the hell is this dude?" Barrett asked.

"The leader of the institution. He always dealt out the punishments," Nathaniel replied, venom dripping off of every word he spoke.

_Ah yes, good times, good times._

The Boss' smirk turned into a sadistic smile as he remembered his punishments. Suddenly, all the lights in the room were lit and they realized they were surrounded by young men armed with swords, knives and guns.

"If you hadn't been so stubborn, you would've been the one doing the surrounding now," the Boss said.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Skylar asked as he looked at them.

"They're the ones that never came back, and some of the ones who stayed when we left," Midnight said, her glare still in place as she sized up their soon to be attackers.

From the looks of it, they were all well trained and so far the odds were 10 to 1.

_This shouldn't be too difficult._

_- Don't underestimate them Midnight. – _Manalani worriedly said.

"Well then, have fun boys, but remember: I want the girl."

As soon as the Boss had finished his sentence, the first circle of young men lunged forward and attacked. Midnight blocked her opponent's sword with her katana. The others either blocked an attack, avoided it or simply shot their attacker. In a matter of moments, they were all engaged in a full blown battle. Romulus and his wolves were having a tough time, considering the fact they only had one sword and their opponents all had more weapons on them, but nonetheless, they fought with all their might. After a while, they started growing tired and 2 of them fell. The other 4 Wolves noticed and decided to turn into their Wolf forms, taking their attackers by surprise as they tore through them with their fangs. Red XIII soon joined them and they easily took down 5 men.

Midnight slashed through her opponents with her right, always keeping one of her kodachi in her left hand to block oncoming attacks.

_They're tougher than expected._

_- Let me help! – _Ainra roared.

Midnight simply ignored her again and crossed her weapons to block an attack from a rather bulky looking young man. He was several inches taller than her and he was swinging around and axe. She was so focused on him that she didn't notice some one behind her firing a bullet at her until she suddenly saw a flash of crimson if front of her as she was pushed to the side and a gun fired 2 bullets next to her head. She nodded her thanks at Vincent standing in front of her and turned around to block yet another blade coming towards her.

Skylar and Nathaniel fought back to back. Skylar twisted and swayed his staff to block and deal blows while Nathaniel had let Thor take over as he used his electricity to disable guns and electrocute his opponents. They suddenly caught sight of Vincent pushing Midnight out of the way and looked at the bulky man with the axe for a moment before looking at each other and nodding with maniacal grins on their faces. They raced their way through the mass and were soon standing in front of him. Skylar made his staff ready for an attack as Nathaniel collected a large amount of energy. They jumped out of the way of an attack and Skylar took this moment to pull off part of his staff, revealing a sharp point and pierced the bulky man's armor. Milliseconds later, Skylar let go and Nathaniel wrapped his hands around the staff, using it to guide his electric currents into the bulky man's body, electrocuting him from the inside out. He fell to the floor as Skylar pulled his staff back out and high fived Nathaniel before they once again placed their backs against each other and continued their fighting.

Cloud blocked and slashed as Barrett continued to shoot next to him and he kept an eye on Tifa and Yuffie. Yuffie was jumping around, throwing her shuriken and using it to slash at her opponents, for her young age, she was definitely a skilled ninja. Tifa was having more and more trouble with blocking and dealing attacks. The fact that she only had her hands and feet for weapons wasn't really helping either. She was getting tired.

_I knew it was a bad idea to neglect my training. Damn it!_

Reno, Rude and Cid were standing in a triangle, backs against each other, as they did they best to fight off their opponents. Reno had been shot in the leg and was having difficulties standing, Rude was trying to help him but with the constant oncoming of attacks it was a tough job.

Midnight felt a slight panic well up inside of her. They'd been fighting for almost an hour now, she'd killed at least 15 men so far, and they were still surrounded.

"Midnight! There's too many of them!" she heard Skylar yell.

She blocked another blade and kicked her opponent in the stomach, sending him toward the ground and she embedded one of her daggers in his head.

"We have to go," Nathaniel said behind her.

She turned around to look at him for a moment and nodded before she once again blocked an attack from her left.

- Vincent? – she tried to mentally contact him.

Vincent took on a bewildered look as he suddenly heard Midnight's voice in his mind.

_Midnight?_

- Yes, it's me, get Cloud and the others, we have to go. There's simply too many of them and they keep on coming. –

Vincent nodded and made his way to Cloud.

"Midnight says we have to go, there's too many of them," he told him.

Cloud nodded and yelled for Barrett, Tifa and Yuffie to retreat.

Romulus felt defeated. The Wolves that had accompanied him were dead, he was badly wounded and he hadn't even gotten close to his family. He heard Skylar yell at him to come, that they had to go. He sighed in defeat and made his way over to them.

They all collected and started fighting their way outside. They all received more cuts and bruises but they eventually made it to the entrance hall door, as soon as Midnight's hand was on the handle they heard and ear splitting scream behind them and they turned around to see Tifa in the arms of one of the men, a gun pointed to her head and a blade at her throat.

The Boss' laughter rang throughout the hall.

"It's very simple Midnight. You stay, she goes," he said in a smug voice.

Midnight made her way through her friends, a death glare directed at the Boss. She felt Skylar place a hand on her arm.

- Midnight, don't, we can save Tifa later. – he mentally told her.

- There might not be a later for her. You know how he is. If we leave her here, she can be dead within the hour. –

Skylar's face fell as Midnight took another step forward. Vincent was silent behind her, he didn't want her to sacrifice herself for Tifa, but he didn't want to lose his friend either. He knew very well of the inner battle within Midnight. If she left, Tifa could die within minutes, but if she stayed, there was a possibility of endangering the entire world. She made up her mind. Vincent, Skylar and Nathaniel were strong. She'd resist for as long as she could, should things go wrong before she had a chance to get out, the three of them would be able to stop her. She took another step forward as placed her sword back in its sheath, took off her armory and handed everything to Skylar, her glare never leaving her features. The Boss' smile grew even larger.

"A very wise decision," he said as he snapped his fingers and Tifa was released.

Tifa stood in front of Midnight.

"You can't do this Midnight," she said in a small voice, a disbelieving look on her face.

Midnight's gaze shifted from the Boss to Tifa and she gave her a determined look.

"I can, and I will," was all she said before stepping past her and toward the men.

"But you'll endanger the whole world!" Tifa shouted.

"Then you'll just have to figure out a way to get me out of here in time," Midnight said as she took one last look at them before she waved her hand at them to leave.

They reluctantly opened the door and left as they watched Midnight get hit in the back of her head with the back of a gun and she crumbled to the floor.


	18. Pain

**Disclaimer: **Final Fantasy still does not belong to me, I only use it to fill up my paper. Midnight, Skylar, Nathaniel, the Boss and this story line are still all MINE!

**Big thanks!**

To dragondeathqueen, as always, for the review, thank you for sticking with me on this ^^

and to Blehlove for adding my story to you favorites list ^^

You guys I'm really sorry for not updating yesterday, but I've had exams this week and yesterday I went to this halloween event and I've needed like half a day to get my hair and make up done, sorry!

But here we are again ^^

Part 18, enjoy!

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 18: Pain**

A week had passed since the events at the caves. Vincent and Chaos were running on the very last ends of their nerves. The whole group was now staying at the mansion in Nibelheim, considering it was closer to the cave than 7th Heaven. The day after the events, they'd immediately gone back there, only to find everything empty. Romulus's wife and son were still in the cells and told them they'd all simply disappeared. Romulus was happy to be reunited once again with his family, but he was also extremely worried about Midnight.

Vincent once again slammed down a book on the table in his cellar. He'd been looking through books for hours on end every day and he'd let Chaos search outside during the nights, but still, they'd found nothing.

_They couldn't have gone anywhere. We would've found tracks._

_- Which can only mean that they're still where we left them. – _Chaos continued his train of thought.

_Yes, but we've checked everything multiple times already. There's nothing left._

_- There has to be something we overlooked. –_

Vincent let out another sigh and decided to go back upstairs after he heard the front door close. As he came into one of the sitting rooms, he noticed Skylar and Nathaniel were back. They'd been looking around the woods, trying to get into contact with Midnight.

"Nothing," Skylar said, a fallen expression on his face.

Nathaniel shook his head next to him, the same expression evident on his features.

"We should go back there. Maybe we can get into contact with her there," Nathaniel said.

"But we've searched that entire place, there's nothing. You've already tried contacting her there," Tifa said.

"And we'll look for her again," Romulus said in a finishing tone.

"A life for a life," he said as he got up and collected his things.

_She's done so much for me, it's only fair that I go to the ends of the earth to save her._

Vincent nodded his agreement and the 4 of them once again left for the caves. In less than an hour, they were once again standing in the middle of the entrance hall.

- Midnight? – Skylar and Nathaniel tried to contact Midnight through their connection.

They waited for a few minutes. Nothing. They tried again and waited. Still nothing.

- Chaos? -

_- Yeah? –_

- Could you try contacting Ainra or Manalani? –

_- I'll try. –_

Midnight was strapped to an iron table in nothing but her underwear and a tube top she always wore underneath her corset. Her breathing was labored and her skin burned. After they'd knocked her unconscious, they'd taken her to a secret place in the facility, removed her clothes, strapped her to a table and started torturing her in an attempt to make her genes come out. The only things they'd seen so far, were Ainra's fangs. They'd come out because Midnight was having more and more difficulty controlling her. She'd been begging to be let out, to destroy everything around them, but Midnight had kept her at bay, fearing that she might not be able to take over again if she let Ainra out in her weakened state. She'd been here for a week and she was bruised, cut and burnt. The others had come back for her, she knew this, but she hadn't been able to mentally contact Jason or Nathaniel, there was some sort of shield around the room. Suddenly a door to her left creaked open and Hojo and her father once again came in.

"How are you today? Have you finally learned or are you still being stubborn?" Hojo asked, his trademark sadistic smirk in place.

Midnight didn't say anything, she only let a low growl come from inside her throat.

"I'll take that as a no," Hojo said as he pulled a lever and part of the walls around them turned over and revealed sets of torture devices.

"You know, your friends are here again," he said as he was deciding on what to use next.

Midnight suddenly felt something try to enter her mind. She cautiously let it in and realized it was Chaos.

- Manalani? Is that Chaos? –

_-Yes, I think so. –_

- See if you can let him through, tell him where we are and that the Boss and his goons aren't here anymore. –

_- Yes. Just a moment please. –_

Midnight felt Manalani leave her mind for a moment and hoped she'd be able to tell Chaos where they were. She didn't know how much more of this she'd be able to stand. Once her genes were on the loose, there was no way of telling what would happen. The fact that Hojo needed them out in the open to experiment on her was the only reason why he hadn't started on her already.

_- Ainra? Manalani? You there? –_

_-Chaos? –_

_- Manalani! Where are you? –_

_- We're in some secret room, you can find it if you go through a door at the very back of the entrance hall. Don't worry, the Boss and his goons are gone, but you still have to be careful! This room is filled with torture instruments, you'll have to cause some sort of distraction to get Hojo and her father out of here before you can get her. –_

_- We'll take care of it. –_

_- And Chaos? Please hurry, I don't know how much more of this she can take... –_

Midnight felt Manalani come back just as Hojo came over to her with a large knife.

- Did you get him? –

_- Yes, they're on their way. –_

Midnight nodded unnoticeably and braced herself when she felt Hojo press the blade into her left temple and slowly drag it down the side of her face, cutting through some of her already burnt skin. He picked the knife up again and this time placed it on her shoulder, making a long line of blood down her arm. Alexander simply stood back, waiting for his daughter to finally crack.

_- Vincent! They're still here! At the back, there should be a way to get to them! –_

Vincent turned around and looked at the back of the entrance hall. He purposefully walked over to it and started examining the wall, earning a strange look from the others.

"Vincent, what are you doing?" Cloud asked him.

"There should be way through here."

"How do you know?" Skylar asked as he took a spot next to him and started examining the wall as well.

"Chaos got in contact with Manalani."

Skylar and Nathaniel suddenly looked at him with wide eyes.

"How?" Skylar asked.

"I don't know."

Vincent didn't look at him, simply continued feeling over the wall until his fingers passed over a crease.

_- Vinnie, Hojo and Alexander are with them, you'll need a distraction to get them out of there. –_

"Hojo and Alexander are with them. We need a distraction," Vincent said as he turned to the others.

They thought for a moment until Nathaniel came up with an idea.

"Skylar and I can pretend were drunk, make a scene and lure them out. If we scream or shout loud enough, they're bound to come and see what's going on."

"Good idea. But what about the others and why act like we're drunk?" Skylar said.

"They'll hide behind those curtains and help us keep Hojo and Alexander in check as soon as they're out and if we're drunk they'll immediately consider us harmless," Nathaniel said as he pointed to a set of heavy curtains that had been draped across the back wall of the entrance hall.

"And who'll be getting Midnight?"

"Vincent."

They all nodded and took their places. Skylar and Nathaniel pretended to be drunk off their asses as they stumbled around and yelled Midnight's name.

"Midnight? Ooooohhhhh ? Where aaaaaaaaaaaaaaare you?" Skylar slurred.

"Come on Midnight, come out and play!" Nathaniel joined him.

Skylar started shooting around balls of fire while Nathaniel played around with electricity, causing sounds of small explosions all around the hall.

"Now, let me see those genes," Hojo said in a mock kind voice as he put his knife away and admired his handy work.

There were about 10 new cuts on Midnight's body, all of them stinging like mad. She didn't stir or change, she simply kept looking at the ceiling, her keen hearing already having picked up the noise Skylar and Nathaniel were making. Hojo suddenly turned the table she was strapped onto around and placed her in front of a door in the ceiling. He walked around and pushed a button, making the door open and bright sunlight stream onto her. She bit her tongue in an attempt to keep herself from screaming as she felt the light burn into her skin. She had been put under a lot of physical stress and she hadn't been able to feed, making her Vampire side very weak. She suddenly heard Hojo and Alexander talk behind her and finally let out the blood curling scream she'd held in when she'd heard the door close and realized they were gone. How Hojo always managed to get sun down here was a mystery to her, but she could only focus on Vincent to try and keep herself from slipping into unconsciousness.

Hojo and Alexander came into the entrance hall and witnessed the havoc Skylar and Nathaniel had caused. Hojo pulled out a gun and pointed it at Skylar when he suddenly heard something cock behind him.

"If I were you, I'd put that down", Barrett said as Hojo turned around and noticed Barrett's gun arm in his face.

Hojo and Alexander put their hands up as they all surrounded them, looks of murder on their faces as they waited for Vincent to come back with Midnight. What they didn't know however, was that Hojo had been able to send a signal to the Boss and he was already on his way there with about 60 men.

Vincent rushed through the dark halls until he finally came to a heavy door. He kicked it open and what he saw made his world come to a stop. He was looking at a near naked Midnight, her mouth open in a blood curling scream as her skin got burned by the sunlight. She was covered in cuts, bruises, burns and even bite marks. He rushed to her side and carefully took a hold of her hand as he hastily undid the straps that held her in place. He took her off the table and into the shadows as she slowly looked up at him, her golden eyes dull and tired.

"Vincent, you came for me," she said in a soft whisper as she slowly reached her hand up to cup his cheek.

"I'm getting you out of here," he said in determined voice as he picked her up bridal style, grabbed her clothes from a nearby chair and once again rushed through the dark hallways.

When he got back to the entrance hall, he noticed Hojo and Alexander had disappeared and the others were once again fighting the Boss and his goons. Skylar was the first to see him and he called out to him as he continued to fight.

"Vincent! Get her home and in a tub of cold water! Hurry!"

Vincent used Chaos' powers to get to the other side of the hall and then rushed back to Shinra mansion, hoping the others would be okay and that he wasn't too late to save Midnight.

"Guys, Vincent's got Midnight, we have to go!" Skylar called out to the others and they fought their way out, making sure none of the men could follow them.

Vincent rushed into the mansion, the others hot on his heels. He gently put Midnight down on a couch and waited for Skylar to come in. Skylar took one look at Midnight from the door to the living room and immediately knew what to do.

"Vincent, we have to get her in an ice cold tub of water."

Vincent nodded, picked Midnight up again and followed Skylar and Nathaniel upstairs as they rushed to the bathroom in Vincent's room. He carefully placed Midnight in the large tub as it continued to fill with ice cold water.

"This should be enough to sooth the burns and start the healing process. We should get her some blood then, but we can wait until she wakes up," Skylar said with a sigh as he looked from Midnight's burnt form to Vincent.

A look of pure worry was etched onto Vincent's face and he shifted his gaze to Nathaniel who nodded to him in understanding.

"Vincent, can we talk to you for a second?" Skylar asked him in a soft voice.

Vincent nodded and followed Nathaniel back into his room. He took a seat on his bed as Skylar leaned against the wall in front of him and Nathaniel grabbed the desk chair. Vincent had his neutral facial expression back in place as he stared at a spot on the floor and waited for Nathaniel to start talking.

"I'm just gonna be blunt, do you love her?" he eventually said.

Vincent looked surprised for a moment before nodding his head and speaking in a soft voice.

"I do."

Skylar looked at Nathaniel for a moment and Nathaniel continued speaking.

"Do you think she loves you?" he questioned.

"I don't know."

"Have you kissed her?"

Vincent only nodded, not lifting his gaze off the floor.

"That might make things a little easier," Nathaniel said before pausing and looking at Skylar again.

"What did you feel when you kissed her?" Skylar said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

This made Vincent look up.

_What did I feel? If only I could explain..._

"I don't know... it's difficult to explain..."

This made Skylar and Nathaniel smirk.

"Then you'll have nothing to worry about."

They got up and went back downstairs to tell the others about Midnight. Vincent went into the bathroom and looked at Midnight, submerged in the water. He took a seat next to the tub and soon fell asleep, his back against the wall and his head resting on the edge of the tub.


	19. Serenity

**Disclaimer: **Final Fantasy still does not belong to me, I only use it to fill up my paper. Midnight, Skylar, Nathaniel, the Boss and this story line are still all MINE!

**Big thanks!**

To dragondeathqueen, for the review ^^ don't worry about language :P

Here it is then, the lemon. This was actually a little hard to get down on paper properly... please let me know what you think, especially since this is the very first lemon I've ever written!

Enjoy!

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 19: Serenity**

Midnight had been asleep in the water for 2 days. Vincent hadn't left her side for a moment. They were worried. Midnight's skin was slowly but surely starting to heal, but she needed to feed.

"Any difference?" Skylar asked as he stood in the bathroom doorway.

Vincent was simply leaning against the sink as he stared at Midnight. He shook his head no and Skylar handed him a plate of food.

"Tifa made dinner."

Vincent took the food and nodded his thanks, he finished the food quickly and Skylar took the plate and went downstairs again.

- Any progress, Chaos? –

_- Some, the water did Ainra a lot of good. They're still weak, but I don't think it'll be very long until they wake up.-_

Vincent nodded. During these last 2 days, him and Chaos had actually been a team. Chaos had managed to keep tabs on Midnight's genes, and on Midnight. Of course, Chaos had had his occasional comments about possible activities for when Midnight would wake up, but Vincent had ignored him, waiting patiently for her to wake up. A few hours passed and suddenly Nathaniel was standing in the doorway.

"We're all going to bed, call us if anything changes," he said as Vincent looked up at him.

Vincent nodded and switched his gaze back to Midnight.

"Oh, before I forget."

Vincent looked back up at Nathaniel.

"When she wakes up, make sure she bites you."

"Why?" Vincent asked, a questioning look on his face.

"You'll see. Oh, and if you feel like biting her, just go ahead and do it," Nathaniel replied, a smirk on his face at seeing Vincent's look of utter bewilderment.

Nathaniel left the bathroom again and went to Skylar's room before retreating to his own. He knocked and Skylar opened the door, giving him a questioning look.

"Did you tell him?" he asked.

"Yep, don't worry," Nathaniel replied and went to his own room to get some much needed sleep.

Vincent had fallen asleep with his back against the wall but he woke up when he heard a noise. He heard it again and realized it was Midnight, stirring in the tub. He got up and looked down at her. Her eyes suddenly shot open and she jumped into a sitting position. Vincent moved back and locked eyes with her for a moment. Her eyes were burning crimson. She closed her eyes again for a moment and tried to get her breathing under control. Vincent moved closer again and carefully placed his hand on her shoulder. She turned toward him and gold once again locked into crimson. She suddenly shivered and Vincent picked up a towel and wrapped it around her as he carefully pulled her out of the tub. She sat on the floor, still shivering, and Vincent took off his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders in an attempt to get her warm. She looked at him with wide eyes and suddenly wrapped her arms around him as though her life depended on him.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Vincent pulled back slightly as placed his hand against her cheek.

"How could I leave you there?" he asked her, his voice no louder than a whisper.

She placed her hands on either side of his face and looked into his crimson eyes as his hand moved to the back of her head and he pulled her closer to him in a passionate kiss. His clawed hand moved around her back as he pulled her into his lap, his lips still feverishly moving against hers. Midnight's arms wrapped around his neck and one of her hands wove through his hair as the other rested in the nape of his neck. She suddenly felt an urge to bite him and pulled away from him with lightening speed and sat back against the tub. He gave her a questioning look but she simply shook her head and looked at a spot on the floor in front of her. She slowly got up and made her way into the bedroom where she looked for her clothes.

"What are you doing?" Vincent questioned her as he followed.

"I have to feed."

"You're in no condition to go out."

By now, Midnight had stepped into a pair of black jeans and was just about to zip up her corset but she paused.

"I don't have any choice. If I don't feed, I could endanger you all," she said and zipped up her corset.

Vincent came closer to her and stopped in front of her.

"Then bite me."

Midnight looked up at him, a look of utter shock on her features.

"I- I couldn't. Vincent, I might kill you!"

Vincent stepped even closer to her and placed his hands on either side of her face, being careful not to hurt her with his claw.

"But you won't," he whispered as he looked deeply into her eyes.

Vincent pressed his lips against Midnight's again and crushed her against him. Midnight couldn't control herself anymore and started kissing a trail from his lips to his jaw down to his neck. She looked for his vein and massaged his skin with her lips and tongue before carefully biting into him. Her eyes shot open as not only his blood, but also a feeling of incredible pleasure shot through her body. Her eyes slowly closed again and she couldn't help but moan as Vincent's embrace tightened around her. As Midnight's fangs had sunk into his neck, Vincent had suddenly felt incredibly aroused. Much to his annoyance, Chaos' fangs had come out and he had to fight himself to keep from biting Midnight or trying some of the things Chaos had suggested over the past months. When she moaned he couldn't help himself anymore, he remembered that Nathaniel had told him to bite her, and even though it sounded very strange, he softly sank his fangs into the skin of her bare shoulder. Another wave of pleasure shot through them both and Midnight's burnt skin suddenly felt soft underneath Vincent's fingers. Vincent pulled his mouth away from her shoulder as she pulled herself away from his neck and looked into her shining golden eyes for a moment before crushing his lips down on hers and pushing her up against the wall behind her. Their tongues battled furiously for dominance but neither gave up as Vincent crushed her body against the wall. They finally pulled apart for air and crimson locked onto gold.

"I love you, Midnight," Vincent whispered, his voice heavy with desire and his breath labored.

"Serenity."

Vincent gave her a confused look but she only smiled softly and stroked his cheek.

"My real name is Serenity. Midnight's just a nickname," she whispered.

"Serenity," Vincent let the name roll of his tongue.

"I love you Vincent," she whispered as he picked her up and carried her over to the bed.

He gently placed her down and caught her lips in another searing kiss. Midnight's mind was reeling, the simple feeling of Vincent's hands on her waist and neck was driving her insane. She needed to feel more, she needed to feel him. She took a hold of one of Vincent's hands and pried off the glove, she then picked up his other hand and looked from his gauntlet to him. He gave her a short nod and she carefully pulled the gauntlet off his hand, revealing the jet black skin. For a moment Vincent was afraid she would run from him, but she simply intertwined his fingers with her own and pulled him back to her for a passionate kiss. Vincent sat up on his knees and pulled Midnight into his lap, she wrapped her legs around him as Vincent took her hair sticks out of her hair and let his hands disappear in the silky mass. She moaned into the kiss as she felt Vincent's hands run over her back and scalp. He slowly pulled down the sipper of her corset as her hands eventually found the knot to Vincent's bandana and she swiftly pulled it loose, letting his bangs fall into his face. She brushed them back and pressed herself against him again as their tongues continued their erotic dance. Vincent then kissed his way down her jaw to her neck, where he soon found her pulse point. He gained another moan from her as he softly sucked on it and let his hand graze the side of her still dressed breast. Midnight slowly opened the clasps on Vincent's shirt and slipped it off his shoulders as he continued his sensual assault on her neck. He then carefully pushed her back onto the bed and let his kisses trail down to her collarbone, eliciting more soft sounds of pleasure from Midnight as she ran her hands over his muscular back. Vincent then trailed his kisses down the middle of her body until her reached the button of her jeans. He carefully opened it and pulled the offending article of clothing down her body, sitting back to slide it over the lower parts of her legs. As he crawled back over her, he couldn't help but marvel at the sight before him. Even with the number of scars she had, she looked like a goddess in his eyes. Her legs long and lean, her toned stomach, her chest rising and falling with every breath she took and her creamy white skin. It took him nearly all of his self control to keep himself from ravishing her. Midnight pulled his lips to hers again and softly let her hands wander from his neck to his muscular chest and trained abs. She let her hands rest on his hips and gasped as she felt one of his hands cup her breast through her top. She teasingly trailed her fingers around the edge of Vincent's pants and felt him give a low growl into the kiss. She carefully undid the buckles and slipped his pants down his body, using her legs to slide them of where her hands couldn't reach him. Vincent sat back slightly and pulled Midnight up with him as he pulled her tube top over her head. She pulled his body against her own and reveled in the feeling of his bare skin against hers. She wrapped her legs around him and felt his arousal press against her through their underwear. Vincent eagerly made a trail of kisses from her mouth down to her collarbone before he took one of her hardened peaks into his mouth and played with it with his tongue while his hand softly massaged her other breast. Midnight could only clutch the silk sheets and moan as she arched her back into his ministrations. Vincent switched his mouth to her other breast and let his hand glide down in between them. He softly stroked her inner thigh, causing yet another sigh of pleasure. A small tremble of expectation ran through her body as Midnight felt Vincent's hand get closer and closer to her heated core. He placed his lips back on her own, begging her to allow his tongue entrance. She gladly complied while once again locking her hands into his long hair and moaned from deep in her throat when she felt his fingers brush against her sensitive spot. Midnight gently pushed against his shoulder and rolled him over so she was lying on top of him. His hands moved to her back as she placed a soft kiss on his mouth and then moved to his ear. She softly nibbled on his earlobe and ran the tip of her tongue along the top of his ear, earning a small moan from Vincent. She kissed down his neck, grazing her tongue over the bite marks she'd made earlier, and continued down, planting kisses on his skin and letting her hands roam every inch of him she could find. When she reached the top of his underwear, she teasingly looked up at him as she ran her tongue over a small line of skin along the edge of his boxers. She hooked her thumbs onto his underwear but before she could pull it down, she was once again underneath him, her mouth caught in a hot kiss while his hands eagerly massaged every inch of skin he could find. Midnight again hooked her thumbs into his underwear and slipped it off his body, she then moved her hands over his chest again and gently slid her hand down. Vincent gasped as he felt her fingers softly dance over his arousal before she wrapped her hand around it and softly moved her hand up and down. Vincent broke away from her mouth and groaned into her neck. He eagerly pulled her underwear off, making sure to graze his hands over the full length of her legs. He placed a few delicate kisses on her inner thighs, he looked up at her face and nearly lost himself when he saw the look of pure bliss on her features. He ran his thumb over her sensitive bud before flicking his tongue out. Midnight gasped and arched her back up from the pleasure that went through her. Her body felt like it was on fire as Vincent continued his actions. He carefully dipped his tongue into her core and then replaced it with one of his fingers, he moved it in and out of her while his tongue continued to flick her sensitive nub. Midnight's moans grew louder and her breathing became more ragged as she felt an indescribable heat begin to build in her lower body.

"Oh my god, Vincent," she breathed.

She moaned out his name one last time as her orgasm came over her in large waves of pleasure and Vincent kissed back up her body.

"You're so beautiful Serenity," he whispered before he caught her mouth in yet another blazing kiss.

He looked down at her and gazed into her eyes. Their eyes were loaded with lust and Vincent slowly lowered himself. When he touched her entrance, he gave her a questioning look. Midnight responded by telling him she loved him and by pulling his lips to hers for a kiss. Vincent slowly pushed himself inside of her and continued to moved his lips against hers. He waited for her to adjust slightly and then started to move himself in and out of her. Midnight soon moved her body in sync with his, her arms and legs wrapped around him, moans and sighs coming from her mouth. Vincent buried his face in her neck as he continued to move and crushed her against him. Midnight pushed him over and crawled on top of him. She kissed him and lowered herself onto him. He placed his hands on her hips and pulled himself into a sitting position as she started to move herself against him. Their bodies moved against each other as they moaned each other's names and clung to each other as though their lives depended on it. Midnight moaned louder with every trust and felt the heat of another orgasm build as she slightly picked up the pace and threw her head back in pleasure. Vincent locked his mouth onto her neck and let his fangs sink into the soft skin, sending Midnight over the edge and eliciting a loud moan from her. She panted heavily and slowed down her movement slightly to regain her composure.

"Turn around," Vincent huskily whispered in her ear while he ran his hands down her body.

Midnight turned around and moaned loudly again when Vincent entered her from behind. His hands slid around her front as he pulled her back against his chest. Midnight leaned her head against his shoulder and grabbed the back of his neck and the hand that was resting on her stomach. Vincent's other hand was cupping her breast and he intertwined his fingers with Midnight's while he continued to make love to her, their bodies covered in a thin layer of sweat. Midnight's nails dug into the skin of his neck as he carefully lowered his hand and let his fingers circle her clit once again. He felt his own release building but wanted to send her over the edge just once more. He picked up his pace and Midnight followed suite, moving her body against his with every thrust. Vincent groaned as he was coming closer and closer to his release. He gently lowered Midnight onto the bed and turned her around again. She wrapped her legs around his waist and dug her nails into his back as her third release was nearing. With a final hard thrust and a loud moan, Vincent felt her walls tighten around him and her nails scratch his back, his own orgasm following mere moments later. He collapsed on top of her, placing his head on her chest, and tried to get his breathing back to normal while she ran her hands through his dampened hair. He rolled next to her and pulled her body against his as she snuggled into his chest. They soon fell into a peaceful sleep, their genes completely silent, as they reveled in their feeling of bliss.


	20. Old Acquaintances

**Disclaimer: **Final Fantasy still does not belong to me, I only use it to fill up my paper. Midnight, Skylar, Nathaniel, the Boss and this story line are still all MINE!

**Big thanks!**

To dragondeathqueen, for the review ^^ I promis to make a Cloud lemon as soon as possible, I've been thinking about it and I might have an idea for it :)

also to Kitty MoonStar for adding my story to your favorites list :)

**OMG you guys I can not emphasize enough how sorry I am for not updating sooner :(**

**school has been killing me! :(**

**I think it'll be just 2 more parts after this one and then the story will be over :(**

**Still, please forgive my absence and enjoy part 20 of The Howling Vampire!  
**

* * *

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 20: Old Acquaintances**

Midnight woke up to a small stream of light attacking her eyes. She groaned slightly and turned around, snuggling into the warm body next to her. She let a smile grace her lips as the previous night's events crawled into her mind. She felt Vincent shift and tighten his hold around her, he buried his nose in her hair and breathed in her scent.

"Good morning," he mumbled.

"Morning."

Midnight opened her eyes and looked up at him. His disheveled appearance made her smile. His face suddenly became worried.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Midnight replied, a confused look on her face.

"Well, yesterday, you were still so wounded."

Midnight smiled.

"That's something I'll explain some other time."

Vincent let out a sigh but turned away from her slightly to stretch.

"Let's get a shower and some breakfast," Midnight said.

Vincent gave her a teasing smile and followed as she wrapped a sheet around herself and went into the bathroom.

Midnight switched on the water and stepped in, dropping the sheet. Vincent followed and wrapped his arms around her from behind, enjoying the feel of the water on their skin and her body against his.

"I love you, Serenity," he murmured as he nuzzled her neck.

Midnight sighed and turned around, wrapping her arms around his neck and looking deep into his crimson eyes.

"I love you too," she whispered.

They swiftly washed up and got out the shower. Vincent then got dressed in his usual attire while Midnight got dressed in a pair of black jeans, a black boybeater, sneakers and her gloves. They left the room and were immediately greeted with the sound of chatter coming from downstairs. They entered the kitchen and saw Tifa slap Reno's hand away from the pancakes.

"Reno! They'll be down in a minute!" she yelled at him.

Reno pouted his lip and rubbed his hand while shifting his gaze over to Midnight and Vincent. His eyes immediately lit up.

"There they are! Let's eat!" he cheerfully said as he reached out and filled his plate with food.

Tifa rolled her eyes and gave Midnight a cautious look while she and Vincent sat down and followed Reno's example.

"Midnight? Are you okay?" Tifa carefully asked.

Midnight gave her a questioning look.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" she said in her usual monotone voice.

"Well, last time we saw you... You wounds were very severe," Tifa continued.

"I'm a fast healer," Midnight replied, ignoring the knowing looks Skylar and Nathaniel were giving her.

- Does he know? – she suddenly heard Skylar's voice in her mind.

- Know what?" –

- Why his blood made you heal so fast? –

- In due time he will. –

Midnight gave Skylar a look and he broke the connection between them, realizing she wasn't in a mood to talk about it.

The remainder of breakfast was silent until Romulus finally spoke up.

"So, when are we getting rid of these guys?" he said it in such an airy tone that Midnight and Vincent were the only ones who could keep the shock off their faces.

"The sooner the better," Midnight replied before she took a bite of her toast.

"We can't go back there with just us," Cloud said.

"True, we don't know how many of them lil' fellas that Boss man has," Barrett added.

"Ah, but someone still owes me a favor," Midnight said, a hint of smugness in her voice.

They all shot her a curious look and Midnight turned her gaze to Skylar and Nathaniel.

"Remember our little reunion in Midgar?"

"Yeah, you left all of a sudden," Nathaniel answered.

"Remember why I left?"

"Because the Vampires were after you," Skylar said.

Midnight gave them both a meaningful look and realization suddenly dripped off their faces as they put things together.

"Marius owes you?" Skylar said in both disbelief and admiration.

Midnight only nodded.

"Who's Marius?" Tifa asked.

"The lord of all Vampires," Skylar said, his eyes still fixed on Midnight.

"How did you get his favor?" he asked.

"The day I left his minions attacked me. I was lead to him and beat him in a duel."

"Do you know where to find him?" Romulus asked.

"Yes, but I'm going alone."

Skylar, Nathaniel, Romulus and Vincent were about to protest but she cut them off.

"They go through a lot of trouble to keep their location secret. It will stay that way."

The rest of the day, they all busied themselves with pretty much everything they could find. After dinner, Midnight and Vincent had retreated to the library to investigate the collection of books when Midnight got up and made her way back to her and Vincent's room. Vincent got up moments after her and followed. When he came into the room, Midnight had changed into her leather pants and was wrapping her corset around her. Vincent walked over to her and held the corset in place while she zipped it up.

"I don't want you to go alone," he said.

Midnight looked up into his eyes.

"I have to."

"I know, but can't I follow you or something?"

"No, Vincent, I'm sorry."

Vincent sighed and wrapped his arms around her, almost enclosing her in his cloak. Midnight wrapped her arms around his waist and let out a sigh as he placed his forehead against hers.

"Be careful," he whispered.

Midnight nodded and reached up to kiss him. Their kiss was simple and sweet, but said more than any words from either of them could. Midnight pulled back and sat down on the bed to put on her boots, all the while under Vincent's watchful eye.

"Are you sure you're completely healed?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"But how is that possible? You were in the tub for 2 days straight, wounded really badly, and in a few seconds you're healed."

"I can't explain it to you now. But I will later."

Vincent gave her a defeated sigh but nodded nonetheless. Midnight got up, picked up her belt with knives, her katana, sais, kodachi and gun and put everything in its place. She pulled her hair up, Vincent handed her her coat and she was ready to go. He followed her downstairs again where she greeted the others before she closed the door behind her. The sun was almost completely gone and the forest was almost getting too dark to see in, but she didn't let it bother her, she simply followed where Ainra's instincts told her to.

She'd been walking for almost 3 hours when she suddenly heard the bushes rustle behind her. She pretended not to notice and simply kept on walking, waiting for them to strike. Suddenly, 2 Vampires jumped in front of her, hands on the hilts of their swords, and 2 more jumped down behind her.

_Let's have some fun._

She gave the 2 in front of her a menacing look and saw fear flash in their eyes moments before she pulled out her katana and sliced through them in one swift movement. The Vampires behind her were shocked and fumbled for their swords but a voice suddenly stopped them.

"Leave it! There is no way in your wildest dreams that you miserable rats could defeat her!"

Midnight looked at the source of the voice and recognized the servant that had brought her before Marius back when she was being chased by the Vampires. She faced him and he bowed his head to her in respect, she returned the gesture and sheathed her katana.

"Well then, what brings you here, milady?"

"I need to speak to Marius."

"Very well, come with me please."

He took off further into the woods and Midnight followed. About an hour later, they reached a familiar looking clearing and Marcus, the servant, lead her to a large rock in the middle of it. He placed his hand on top of it and the stone glowed underneath his touch. The grounds started shaking underneath their feet and the clearing lowered itself into the ground like a large platform. Midnight followed Marcus as he walked through several dungeons and soon they were standing in a large, dimly lit room. Marius was silently discussing a few things with a man in a suit but immediately stopped talking and sent him away when he noticed Midnight's presence.

"I was wondering when you would return," he said in a warm, welcoming voice.

"I need a favor," Midnight replied in her monotone voice after acknowledging his greeting.

"I thought so. Please, join me for a cup of tea upstairs."

Midnight nodded and followed him to the back of the room, through a door and up a flight of stairs. She was now standing in the patio of a rather large house and he motioned for her to follow him and take a seat at the small table that was placed there. A servant placed 2 cups in front of them and filled them with a sweet smelling tea before leaving again, leaving them both to enjoy the night in silence.

"Well then, what can I do for you?"

"You've heard of the scientist in the woods?"

"Ah yes, good old Hojo. Now that you mention him, last thing I heard you were his captive."

Midnight nodded.

"How did you get out?"

"Some friends helped me."

At the mention of the word friends, Marius' features took on a smug look but Midnight decided to ignore him.

"I need your help in getting him out."

Marius looked at her for a moment, his spoon circling in his cup, until he eventually nodded.

"We will be ready tomorrow evening. You can have every warrior I have," he looked away from her as he took a sip from his cup.

"He had been a nuisance to you as well I take it?"

"You have no idea."

Midnight silently enjoyed her tea while Marius let his thoughts wander.

"Could I ask you something, Midnight?"

"Of course."

"From what I've heard, you were very badly burned and wounded, especially your Vampire side."

Midnight nodded.

"Well, how did you heal so quickly?"

This caused a small smile to form on Midnight's lips.

"I may have found my mate."

Marius almost chocked on his tea and dropped his cup in surprise. This was the reason why her wounds had healed, it was common knowledge that when a Vampire tasted the blood of his or her mate, they became even more powerful, which in Midnight's case resulted in her wounds healing at an incredible speed. Midnight however, remained unfazed and continued to stare ahead of her while he gave her a disbelieving look.

"And who might this mate be?"

"I'm sure you'll find him... interesting."

This only spiked Marius' curiosity more and Midnight purposely waited a few minutes before answering him.

"You probably know him as Chaos."

Marius gained a thoughtful expression for a moment but it soon turned into one of slight realization.

"You don't mean Hojo's experiment?"

Midnight nodded and turned to him.

"Chaos and Ainra seem incredibly compatible."

"But this isn't about genes, this is about the hosts."

"I'm aware of that. And Vincent and I seem to be rather compatible as well."

Marius let a small smile take place on his features while Midnight finished her tea and got up.

"Tomorrow evening, Shinra mansion," she said.

"We shall be there."

Midnight nodded one last time and left the Vampire lair, using Manalani's sense of smell and direction to find her way back to the mansion. By the time she got back, it was nearing 2 am and she made her movements as silently as possible, considering the fact that all the others would be asleep. When she entered her room, she noticed not everyone was sleeping. Vincent was sitting on the window sill, looking out into the woods, so she silently closed the door and joined him. Vincent turned towards her and pulled her against him in an embrace.

"I was worried," he murmured into her shoulder.

"You shouldn't have been."

Vincent got up and looked down at Midnight, even with her platform boots she was still a bit shorter than he was. He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer to him before capturing her lips in a soft kiss.

"Is Marius going to help?" he asked her in a whisper.

"Yes. He's giving me every man he's got and they'll be here tomorrow evening."

Vincent nodded and pulled Midnight against him again

"When are you going to tell me what made you heal so fast?"

Midnight walked around the room while taking off her coat and letting a deep sigh escape her lips.

"It was your blood."

"So when you're wounded and you drink you'll heal?"

"Not exactly."

Midnight took a seat on the bed and motioned for Vincent to sit down next to her while she took off her boots and weapons. Vincent sat and down and turned slightly to face her, a curious expression on his face.

"Blood can help me heal, but only your blood can make me heal that fast."

Vincent waited for her to elaborate further as she took a deep breath.

"Vampires have only one destined mate. They can mate with many, but there's only one person in the world that can make them complete. It's the same with Werewolves."

A look of realization came onto Vincent's features.

"And I'm your mate..."

"So it would seem."

Midnight looked at a corner, afraid for his reaction to her revelation. What he did was something she definitely hadn't been expecting him to do, ever! He took both sides of her face in his hands and crashed his lips down on hers with a force that made Midnight feel as though he was a drowning man and she was his oxygen. She placed her legs on either side of him and climbed into his lap, her tongue furiously battling for dominance with his while he eagerly took off her corset. Midnight made quick work of the buckles on his shirt and slipped it off his shoulders before pushing him down on the bed. This could very well be their last night together and they were definitely not going to let it go to waist...


	21. Fire

**Disclaimer: **Final Fantasy still does not belong to me, I only use it to fill up my paper. Midnight, Skylar, Nathaniel, the Boss and this story line are still all MINE!

**Big thanks!**

To dragondeathqueen, for the review as usual, so sorry for the long wait! :( also, I probably won't be doing a sequal :) and the Cloud thing you requested will be up as soon as possible! :)

and to DovieDM-1991-Promised Wings, for the review ^^

also a big thanks to everyone who's added me or my story to any of their lists, it's very much appreciated ^^

**I'm back! I am so incredibly sorry for the wait! I really hope you can forgive me :(**

**This is a pretty long part (8 pages in word) and it took me quite some time to write it, so I really hope you'll like it :)  
**

**there's just one more part after this one, I already wrote it, but I wanna look over it again so I'll post it tomorrow or the day after tomorrow :)**

**Enjoy and let me know what you think! ^^  
**

**

* * *

**

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 21: Fire**

"Do you really think they're still there?" Nathaniel asked Midnight.

"It's our only option."

They were discussing their course of action for the evening. The plan was simple, get in and try to get rid of everything and everyone.

"Is it necessary to kill all of the Boss' men?" Cloud questioned.

"I'm not sure. You see, they only follow orders because they have no choice, they've been brainwashed. We might be able to get them to change their points of view when the Boss is gone, but I can't guarantee it. We can only wait and see," Skylar explained.

"Then everything is settled, I suggested we all prepare ourselves and wait for Marius," Nathaniel said.

The others nodded and one by one got up and left the dining room table. Midnight looked at Cloud and Tifa for a moment, he'd been sending her worried glances all evening. Midnight mentally told Vincent to leave and waited until everybody else was gone before walking up to Cloud, whom was now staring at an invisible spot on the table with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"She'll be fine," she said.

"I don't know. Last time..."

"Last time we didn't have half as many forces as we'll have now. She's a strong fighter Cloud, you don't have to worry about her."

Cloud looked up at Midnight and nodded before slowly getting up. Just before he left the room, Midnight stopped him.

"You really should just ask her out sometime you know," she said while sending a knowing expression his way.

The corners of his mouth tugged up slightly in a half smile.

"If we survive this."

Midnight nodded and waited for a few moments more before going upstairs to get her things. When she entered their room, Vincent was just putting the last piece of Cerberus back in place, he'd cleaned the gun to make sure it would work perfectly. Midnight picked up her leather pants, tube top and corset and swiftly changed her clothes in the bathroom. When she came out, Vincent was sitting on the bed, a stony expression on his face.

"What is it?" Midnight asked him as she knelt in front of him and placed her hand on his cheek.

"I'm worried about this."

"You're not the only one."

Silence fell between the two of them. Midnight got up and put on her weapons and picked up her coat just as they heard a loud knock on the manor's doors. Vincent and Midnight went downstairs and Vincent opened the door to be greeted with the sight of a handsome, dark haired man who appeared to be in his late 30's, his hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail and he was wearing an old fashioned looking armor with numerous swords and daggers.

"Marius, welcome," Midnight said.

"You must be Vincent?" Marius said as he nodded to Midnight and let his gaze sweep over Vincent.

Vincent nodded but remained emotionless as he stepped aside to let Marius enter.

"How many men did you bring?" Midnight asked him.

"I should have a few thousand. I've given up on counting the number of warriors that are loyal to me quite a few centuries ago, as you know, many owe me," he replied, a teasing twinkle in his eyes.

By now, the others had come downstairs as well, all armed and ready, and Midnight smirked in amusement at the look of amazement on the faces of Tifa and Yuffie. Introductions were made and suddenly they heard a series of growls outside. Marius opened the doors and revealed a number of Vampires standing in front of a number of Wolves, swords ready and teeth bared. The group stared in awe at the sheer number of creatures standing in front of them. How they had never before heard of them was a mystery to them. One of the Wolves looked past Marius at Midnight and straightened himself out into his human form, it was Romulus. His troops weren't nearly as large as those of Marius, but they were loyal and he'd summoned them to help nonetheless. Marius and Romulus shared a cold look as Midnight stepped forward.

"Thank you Romulus", she said.

"There are more Wolves, but it seems that most of them have sided with Hojo. I wish I could do more," he said, a solemn expression on his face.

Marius then turned to his troops.

"Stop this nonsense immediately!" his voice boomed.

They all looked at him in pure bewilderment, but he turned his gaze to Midnight, indicating that she should speak to them.

"Tonight, we will face an enemy that could bring on the destruction of everything we know and hold dear. Should you face him as rivals, then his power will only grow, and you will lose everything you have worked so hard for. Your parents, wives, children, brothers, sisters, they will all fall if we do not destroy this enemy as a united front! I ask of you, to put your feud on hold and join us as we face this threat!" Midnight's voice boomed over the troops.

They had all fallen silent after her first sentence. Slowly but surely, the Vampires put their swords away, bowing their head to Midnight's authority, and the Wolves turned into their human forms, their doubtful gazes still directed at Romulus. Marius let his eyes glide over his men as Romulus did the same. They still seemed reluctant to bury their feud. Marius and Romulus turned to each other.

"I suggest we join her, what say you?" Marius said as he extended his hand.

"I'm in," Romulus answered, grasping Marius' hand with his own.

"My Lord, how can you be sure they won't turn against us when we turn our backs?" one of the frontline Vampires spoke up.

"How do we know you won't do the same?" Romulus replied to him.

"We have no choice but to trust each other now. I have heard of this enemy, I know what he can do, he almost destroyed Midnight," Marius added.

"Then we will fight him, we don't need them!"

Marius extended his arm toward Midnight.

"I assume this woman is no stranger to you, and if I'm correct then you're very much aware of the power she possesses."

The Vampire nodded.

"Hojo, our enemy, can use her power to destroy this world as we know it. We-"

"But this Hojo is one man!"

"And he has the support of at least a thousand. Have you never wondered where some of the humans and even some of your own kind disappeared to?" Midnight spoke.

The Vampire fell silent.

"Well then, I suggest we get to it. We have quite a bit of work to do," Marius said.

They moved swiftly through the woods, AVALANCHE in the front, the Wolves and Vampires following in their stride. When they got to the caves, they were already greeted by a pack of Wolves. They stopped and Romulus went to stand next to Midnight.

"They used to be part of my pack. They've joined Hojo though," he explained to her and Midnight nodded as she took a step forward.

One of the Wolves straightened up and stood in front of Midnight. They gave each other a stern look before Midnight spoke.

"I suggest you let us pass. I'd hate to let you all go to waste," she said, her usually emotionless voice tinted with sadism.

The Wolf smirked.

"And what makes you think we would go to waste?" he questioned her, a sneer evident on his features.

Midnight sized him up for a moment. His brown hair had a shaggy cut, his black and crimson eyes were wild. She could easily take him without use of her genes. This Wolf was so corrupted that he overestimated his own power, he was weak, but Hojo and the Boss had made him think he as invincible. A short scoop of the other Wolves in front of her told her that they were the same, all weaklings lead to believe they were stronger than they truly were.

"I'm sorry Romulus," she whispered to Romulus, whom simply nodded his understanding.

"Because you're weak," she said to the Wolf, sadism still in her voice, as she threw one of the daggers from her belt into his heart.

His eyes widened in terror as he looked down. He fell down and the other Wolves growled at the group in front of them.

"If you don't want to end up in the same way, I suggest you let us pass," Midnight spoke again, but the Wolves didn't budge.

Five of them suddenly lunged at Midnight but she easily blocked 2 of them while Vincent shot one and Skylar and Nathaniel took care of the other 2. Midnight looked at the Wolves again and saw fear flicker in their eyes. They hesitantly started moving aside, still growling. Here and there, one of them lunged at Midnight, but she easily sliced through them with her katana. Marius told the majority of his men to wait outside, while he followed Midnight inside.

In the camera room, Hojo was looking at the screens with annoyance.

"You said they would be useful!" he yelled at the Boss next to him.

The Boss was getting worried, the Wolves were supposed to be much more of a challenge.

"And they have been. You see, they'll be too confident now, it'll be the end of them!"

_I hope._

Hojo gave him a suspicious look but soon returned to looking at the screens.

"Get your men ready," he sneered.

Alexander was standing in a corner of the room. He was starting to doubt his decisions, however, there was nothing he could do about it anymore, and he felt more helpless than ever.

They continued to walk through the corridors until the once again reached the great hall. Midnight's senses were on overdrive.

- There's nothing here. – Nathaniel mentally told her.

Midnight only nodded. A spotlight went on and revealed the Boss. He was sitting on a throne in the middle of the room and looked at Midnight with a sadistic smirk on his lips.

"Well, look who's here again."

Midnight remained silent. She simply reached for the gun on her thigh and lifted it, pointing it right between his eyes. The Boss' smirk only grew.

"Now what satisfaction would shooting me give you?"

A voice made Midnight brake her gaze and lower her gun.

"Sir! We're under attack! There's thousands of them, we're completely surrounded," a Vampire came to a halt in front of Marius.

"Let's go," he said and started rushing out of the caves again.

Midnight sent one last look in the Boss' direction and then followed.

- _What do you think you're doing? We've been waiting for this for years! – _Ainra yelled in her mind.

- Don't worry, I'll get him later. Now use your energy for something more useful, such as helping me get us out of here alive! –

When Midnight came outside, her eyes widened. The battle had completely broken loose. She couldn't find anyone from her group anymore, all she saw was Wolves, men and Vampires fighting for their lives. There was something strange about the Boss' men though. But before she could take a closer look, a ball of fire flew straight at her head. She dodged it and was getting ready to scold Skylar when she realized that he hadn't been the source of the fire. It was one of the Boss' men. He lunged at her, swinging his sword at her head, but she easily blocked his attack and then noticed what was different about him. There seemed to be a glowing orb in his arm.

_Materia. There's materia in their bodies!_

Midnight dodged a few more of her opponents attacks, but soon found his week spot and she easily took him down. Another lunged at her, this time with a sword loaded with electricity. As she continued to fight, she looked for Skylar and Nathaniel. She soon spotted them and stopped worrying about them, they were fighting back to back again and their teamwork was flawless. She soon located the other members of the group and noticed Tifa was having some difficulties with a man who was swinging around a large hammer-like weapon. She ran up behind her and jumped around her, changing into her Wolf form in midair, and knocked down the man. His weapon flew away, knocking down another one of the enemy men, and she bit down in his throat, ripping it out when she pulled back. She stood up straight again and wiped the blood off her mouth, nodding at Tifa before going back to fighting whomever dared lunge at her.

Skylar was slowly but surely getting tired. He'd been using his genes for almost the entire battle, as had Nathaniel. The distance between was increasing with every enemy they defeated and soon they both found themselves alone, surrounded by enemies.

Midnight looked to her left and saw Skylar. He was surrounded, and she was worried. She could tell from his eyes that he was getting tired, the enemies kept coming though. She tried her hardest to fight her way towards him, slashing and stabbing through her enemies at full speed. She sensed someone attack her from behind and she swiftly turned around, blocking the attack. She was shocked when she came face to face with the goon that used to drag her into the Boss' office every time she refused to fire the gun they forced into her hands. Her eyes burned crimson and she registered the fear in his eyes when he recognized her. She blocked his feeble attack and jumped on him, dropping their weapons in the process. She sank her claws into his shoulders and her teeth into his neck, reveling in the sounds of his screams and the way he squirmed as she sucked the life from him. By the time she was up and ready for her next attack, Skylar had become even more closed in and she slashed her way through the crowd. Suddenly, time seemed to stand still. Skylar raised his arms to turn into his Phoenix form, when an opponent behind him ran his sword through him. A last ring of fire erupted from his body and took out the enemies closest to him when a bone-piercing scream rang through the air. Midnight caught him in her arms.

"Skylar? Come on, don't leave me!"

Tears were starting to stream down her face as Skylar let out his final breaths. Midnight started shaking him, but his eyes wouldn't open again. Her head fell back as an animalistic scream came from deep within her, making the everything fall silent as all eyes fell on her.

Vincent felt the voice go through every part of his body, the pain in it almost made him fall to his knees. He turned around and his eyes fell on Midnight and the lifeless body of Skylar in her arms. A pair of bat like wings shot out of her back, her hair became raven black, her fangs shot out and her nails turned into sharp claws while the rest of her body became more angular. She let go of Skylar's body and lunged at the first enemy she saw. In mere moments, they were fighting at full force again and Vincent could only pray that Midnight would not loose full control of her genes...

After a very long hour, the fight was finally starting to die down as most of the men that were left had moved inside. Romulus and Marius ordered their troops to wait outside until Midnight gave the order to go in. Midnight ripped the limbs off her last victim and then turned to look at the outcome of their battle. The ground was littered with corpses, most of them of the Boss' men. She turned back into her human form and crimson tears made their way down her cheeks as she recognized many of them. She went back to Skylar's body and dropped down on her knees. Vincent stalked over to her, placing his gun in its holster, and wrapped his arm around her. She put her head on his shoulder and soundlessly let the flow of tears continue. Nathaniel wearily approached them, dropping down next to Midnight.

"We can't stop now," he said, pain evident in his voice.

"We have to get rid of them!"

Midnight picked her head up from Vincent's shoulder and nodded.

"We're putting his body somewhere else though," she said as she got up.

Midnight and Nathaniel picked up Skylar's body and placed him in the bushes a few feet away from the battle.

"How are we?" she asked Romulus and Marius.

"Not too bad, I still have a little over half of my men," Marius said as he looked around.

"I only have about 30 left," Romulus spoke.

Midnight nodded.

"Let's go then."

With Midnight and Nathaniel in the front, they once again entered the caves. The Boss, Hojo, Alexander and the men were waiting for them. Most of them were still okay, but some of them were badly wounded.

"Welcome Midnight, welcome," the Boss said, a wide smile on his face.

Midnight felt Vincent tense up behind her as his eyes fell on Hojo.

"Let the party begin!" the Boss yelled and the first line of his men fell forward, attacking Midnight and the other.

They easily got rid of them, and soon they were once again divided, all fighting for their lives in the large crowd. Midnight was nearing in on the Boss, it was only a matter of minutes and she'd reach him. She was so close... However, it seemed as though new men were streaming into the hall at a steady pass and Midnight found herself surrounded. Ainra and Manalani were restless. Midnight knew that she'd be able to get out of her situation easily if she just let them out, but she couldn't.

- Midnight! Let them out! – Nathaniel's voice screamed in her mind.

He'd been sensing that Midnight had been holding back, and right now they needed her genes.

- Nathaniel, what if I lose control? –

- We'll do what needs to be done. Now just help us! –

Midnight took a deep breath and carefully let go of each and every string of control she had. A wave of power rolled off her and pushed her opponents back, her hair became a silvery white, her skin pitch black, the whites of her eyes became black, her golden irises remained, her hands turned into claws, her fangs grew and a pair of large bat wings covered in black fur emerged from her back. All eyes fell on her, and the Boss' men's eyes filled with fear. The group held their breath, the Boss was astonished and Hojo's smirk only grew. Midnight lunged at the nearest man and pulled his head off as though he was a rag doll. In 30 minutes, the battle was almost settled. The few men that were left, were ready to surrender and Midnight was standing in front of the Boss. The Boss took a few steps closer to her, an arrogant smirk on his face, but Midnight could clearly see the fear in his eyes.

"Well then, you've defeated me. What say you we join hands? Just imagine the things we can do," he spoke.

Midnight didn't respond. She only stepped closer to him and picked him up by his throat. his hands shot to hers as his feet dangled above the ground.

"Just imagine what I will do to you now," she growled, her voice low and demonic.

The Boss screamed as Midnight put him down again. He fell to the ground, clutching his groin, and Midnight only smirked. She would crush him, piece by piece.

"Get up," she growled.

When he didn't get up immediately, she shifted her powers to his hand and he clutched it in pain as the bones started to crack. He hurriedly got up and Midnight stood close to him. Her hand shot out and went straight into his chest, breaking his sternum in the process, and took a hold of his heart. His face was contorted in pure pain as Midnight squeezed his heart and pulled it out before crushing it in her hand. When she looked ahead of her again, Hojo was gone and Alexander was standing in front of her, a gun to his head.

"Please forgive me," he whispered, tears streaming down his face.

Midnight examined him and saw the scars on his fingers when they'd tortured him. She slowly turned back into her human form, her expression still hard. She knew she would never understand why her father had taken the path he'd chosen, but she also knew that it was important for her to forgive him. It was the only way for him to die in peace and for her to achieve full closure. She took a few steps towards him and embraced him.

"I forgive you," she whispered into his ear just before she pulled back.

Her father nodded and pulled the trigger.


	22. A New Life

**Disclaimer: **Final Fantasy still does not belong to me, I only use it to fill up my paper. Midnight, Skylar, Nathaniel, the Boss and this story line are still all MINE!

**Big thanks!**

To dragondeathqueen and to DovieDM-1991-Promised Wings, for the review ^^ I'm raelly glas that you like it ^^

**This is it then, the very last part of my story. I'm really going to miss you guys :) thank you so much for all of your support and for reading my story ^^**

**For the moment, I don't think there will be a sequel, should any of you want one though, feel free to leave me some suggestions and I'll think about it :)**

**Any other requests are welcome as well, though it could take a while for me to write them, considering the fact that I'm usually incredibly busy with school...**

**Thanks again and enjoy this last part! ^^**

**

* * *

**

**The Howling Vampire**

**Part 22: A New Life**

Nathaniel, Midnight and Vincent were strolling through the streets of Midgar on their way to 7th Heaven. It had been a week since the events at the cave and the funerals of Skylar and Midnight's father. Tonight would be their last night together. Midnight would be going home with Vincent, to Shinra mansion, and Nathaniel would travel around the Planet. They entered 7th Heaven and greeted the group that had fought with them.

"To a new life," Nathaniel said as he raised his glass in a toast.

The others repeated his words as they joined in. even though they were still feeling heavy with the loss of Skylar, they were hopeful for a better future. They spent the evening talking and laughing and decided to all stay the night. In the morning, Tifa made them all a big breakfast and they enjoyed their last moment together. Midnight, Nathaniel and Vincent were ready to say their goodbyes when Cloud pulled Midnight to the back of the bar.

"Skylar gave this to me when we were in SOLDIER, he told me to give it to the most important person in his life, should he die. I think you should have it," he said as he handed Midnight a small black box.

Midnight opened it and a single tear slid down her cheek. It was a simple silver necklace with a silver and gold pendant shaped like a phoenix, its eyes were made of shining rubies.

"Thank you," Midnight said as she nodded.

She picked up the necklace, placed it around her neck and put the box in her pocket. She went back to the front and Nathaniel gave her a small smile when he noticed the necklace.

"Take care Nathaniel," Midnight said as she embraced him one last time.

"Visit us any time you wish," Vincent added, shaking his hand.

"Knowing her you guys won't be staying in one place for very long either," Nathaniel said with a smile.

He nodded his goodbye to the rest of the group, thanked Tifa for everything and hurried off to get on a bus. Where it went, he didn't know, but he would figure out soon enough.

Midnight turned to Tifa.

"Thank you, for everything," she said as Tifa engulfed her in a hug.

"You're very welcome," Tifa replied as she fought to keep in her tears.

Midnight gave Yuffie and Cloud a hug and then turned to Vincent, she was ready to go. Vincent nodded and took her hand in his as they left the bar and the group behind.

"Hojo is still alive, you know," he said after a few minutes of silent walking.

"Oh I know. But don't worry, we'll get him," she said, a confident smirk on her face.

Vincent wrapped his arm around her shoulders, content that things would be going better for the both of them. Hojo was their only remaining obstacle. A soft smile graced both their faces as they walked off into the sunset, on their way to a new life, a life without nightmares...


End file.
